Adjustment Period
by christinasesok
Summary: Slight AU, Post Endgame. Chakotay has been back on Earth for nearly a year, but now he's forced to face something far more terrifying than anything he encountered in the Delta Quadrant: Seven and Mezoti moving in with him. The couple navigate their relationship while simultaneously trying to raise a precocious nine year old who only wants to fit in and make friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

For a captain without a starship, Chakotay couldn't believe the amount of work scattered across his desk. It was so bad that he couldn't even see the top of his desk under all the PADDs and files people seemed to enjoy dropping off for his review at random intervals. The only clear spot held a framed holoimage of him and Seven at one of the many celebrations they'd attended together after _Voyager_ returned to the Alpha Quadrant. There had been so many celebrations that he had no idea which one this one was, but it didn't matter, because it was his favorite holoimage of them together. Smiling, they stood with their arms around each other, both happy to be back on Earth and over with the Delta Quadrant. Seven wore a striking red dress that clung to her curves, accentuating her sexuality more than any of her bodysuits ever could. She looked like such a bombshell, he looked pathetic in comparison. Chakotay took a break from his work to look at the image. Although they'd just talked last night, as they did nearly every night, he still missed her dearly. After being together every day for several years in some capacity, it was difficult adjusting to being apart, although they still lived in the same city. Their hectic schedules made it difficult to meet face to face more than once a week, leaving them to call each other after work instead.

Realizing that he had a lot of work to do, Chakotay turned his attention back to the PADD in his hand. It never seemed to end. Just when he thought he completed the last thing, he found at least a dozen more that needed his attention. The least Kathryn could have done was warn him about all the menial tasks he'd need to complete when he was promoted to captain. It seemed like anything the admirals didn't want to they passed down to the captains. As a result, Chakotay was left with piles of paperwork every single day. It would be foolish for him to complain though. With his past in the Maquis, he was lucky to have a career in Starfleet at all. He knew it was all for show though, Starfleet's way of showing the galaxy that it was fine with forgiving members of the Maquis. There was no way they were going to give him a ship or any sort of actual responsibility. If he was lucky, in a few years they'd put him on a station somewhere far away from the demilitarized zone and hope his old Maquis ways wouldn't come back. It was nice to think about, but for right now, he was stuck riding a desk in San Francisco.

At least the tiny hole in a wall that Starfleet dared to call Chakotay's office had a somewhat decent view of the presidio. Other than that, it was a rather pathetic office. Crammed into the small room was a desk and large, lumpy chair for him. Across from his desk sat two mismatched chairs for any guests who remembered he existed and decided to stop by for a visit, which almost never happened. He took back all his complaints about his small office back on _Voyager_. At least that office had enough room to entertain more than two guests comfortably. The fame of being First Officer on the famed _Voyager_ wore off after a few months, which allowed him to disappear back into society and adjust to life on Earth after so many years away. The adjustment included a few unplanned changes to his personal life, but he was finding a way to adapt.

The doorbell rang, instantly drawing Chakotay's attention away from his work, for which he was grateful. He didn't have any meetings scheduled for today, and unless they were dropping off more work for him to do, people rarely came to visit him anymore, which made the intrusion even stranger. Even so, he was glad to have an excuse to take a break from the work in front of him.

"Come in," he called without looking up from the PADD in front of him; he wanted to finish the last sentence he was reading. The door beeped as it complied.

"So this is where they hid you." He'd know that voice anywhere. All thoughts of working instantly vanished as he got to his feet with a huge smile plastered across his face.

"Kathryn," he breathed as he walked around his desk to hug her. "Or should I call you Admiral?" Kathryn laughed. Although they talked regularly, he missed that sound, it didn't have the same ring to it over the LCARS system.

"No, Kathryn will do," she replied. She rested her hand on his cheek and gazed up at him with her usual adoration that she could only feel for her beloved best friend. "How are you doing, Captain?"

"I can't complain. Please, have a seat." He motioned towards one of the chairs in front of his desk, and she immediately sat down. Rather than sit behind his desk, he sat next to her and turned his chair to face her properly.

Kathryn took a few moments to look around the small office and take it all in. With the two of them in here, it felt significantly more crowded. Chakotay crossed his leg, his foot tapping against her shin in the process. He'd scoot his chair back, but there wasn't any room for him to do so.

"This is...cozy," she commented in an attempt to find something nice to say about the miniscule room.

"Don't sugarcoat things, it isn't your style. This office is smaller than the one I had on _Voyager_."

"Those are your words, not mine." They both laughed. "It is a little cramped though. I guess it was the best they could do on the short notice." _Voyager_ 's return home nearly nine months ago had been unexpected by all of them. After a flurry of celebrations, ceremonies and promotions for several members of the crew, the excitement died off, and Starfleet realized that they now had to provide jobs for everyone they had just hired and promoted, which proved easier said than done. Chakotay knew he wasn't the only promoted former _Voyager_ crewman struggling to find his place in Starfleet after being given a promotion and no assignment. He saw B'Elanna, Tom and Harry on a regular basis, and all three struggled just as much as he did to find their place after seven years away.

"You're always so positive when it comes to Starfleet." The words just slipped out, Chakotay knew he should have been more careful, he wasn't speaking to Kathryn in the privacy of her ready room tens of thousands of lightyears away in the Delta Quadrant where he knew he could make such complaints about Starfleet without any repercussions. Now, she was an admiral, and they were back on Earth where he had to be careful what he said. She reached out and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You're unhappy with your decision to stay with Starfleet," she observed softly. She could always read him like a book; he didn't know why he bothered trying to keep anything from her, she always figured it out anyway. He returned the affectionate squeeze.

"I'm a captain without a ship, how would you feel in my shoes?" he reasoned. She knew he was right. If she had been in his place, she'd be just as frustrated. It had only been a few months though, and she knew that Starfleet always found a place for everyone, even if it took some time. Besides, not every captain got a posting right away. Starfleet always did its best to pick the perfect person for each assignment.

"Do you want me to pull some strings and see what I can get you?" she offered. She'd do anything for Chakotay, so inquiring about his placement hardly seemed out of place. Surprisingly, he shook his head.

"No, I don't want to put you in that position. Besides, with everything going on right now, I'll be glad to stay planetside for a little while." It was true. While he certainly was unhappy not having a placement right now, being assigned to a ship right now would only complicate his already chaotic personal life. The admission caused Kathryn's eyes to light up with excitement. It had been far too long since she and Chakotay had talked, and she had no idea what he was talking about. After living together and sharing every facet of their lives for seven years, it felt strange to not know something now.

"Really? Do tell," she pressed eagerly.

"I will, but first, coffee." As he got to his feet, he patted her knee. While his office may be pathetic, it still had a replicator, which, along with the view, was just about it's only redeeming quality. She laughed.

"You always knew how to spoil me." Although they were back on Earth and not in the Delta Quadrant, it felt like old times for both of them. She missed this more than anything else in the Delta Quadrant, just spending time with Chakotay, drinking coffee and talking. Contrary to what the crew thought, they didn't just sit around her Ready Room and talk about _Voyager_. They talked about just about anything, and there were no secrets between them after seven years together.

Even after a year, Chakotay still remembered how Kathryn liked her coffee, it wasn't exactly complicated. He ordered one for her and one for him. If he was going to survive an evening of looking over reports, he was going to need a few more cups of coffee to keep him coherent.

"Here you go." No sooner had he handed her her cup did she take a long drink of it. It was perfect, not that she expected it to be anything less coming from him.

"Now, tell me, how's life? How's Seven?" Kathryn realized that not only had she not talked to Chakotay for a few weeks, but she hadn't talked to Seven either. It felt strange, they were two of her closest friends on _Voyager_ , but now they were all caught up in their own lives. Yes, they all worked for Starfleet in some capacity, but it was such a large complex of buildings, she could go days without seeing the same faces.

"Seven's doing great. She's preparing to teach a class about the Borg at the Academy."

"I heard several cadets talking about it. Apparently her syllabus is quite extensive and detailed."

"What do they expect when you have a former drone teaching you? Anything less than perfection won't be tolerated," Chakotay commented before taking a drink of his coffee. "She's also homeschooling Mezoti, although she'll be enrolled in the local school and starting there next week."

"Oh, what school will she be attending?"

"I can't remember the name, but it's whatever one our new house feeds into." It took Kathryn a few moments longer than it should have to fully comprehend what he had said. As soon as all the pieces fell into place, her eyes lit up, and she smiled excitedly.

"You two are moving in together," she said as the realization dawned on her. "How exciting. When?"

"I moved in about a month ago. There were some changes that needed to be made. I had to get B'Elanna to help install one of the alcoves salvaged from _Voyager_ into the basement for Seven and Mezoti to share." He paused. "I don't know what was worse, the hoops I had to jump through to get Starfleet's permission to remove Borg technology from a starship or the amount begging and pleading it took to get B'Elanna to help." Kathryn laughed. She had hoped that some distance would help mend the strained relationship between the two women, but clearly that hadn't happened yet. She still held out hope for the future, but it would be difficult, both women were so strong minded.

"How'd you get her to help?"

"I ended up watching Miral for four days while she and Tom went on vacation." It hadn't exactly been the highlight of Chakotay's time back on Earth, but he did have a whole new appreciation for all parents, especially those trying to balance parenthood and a job.

"I'm sure that was fun." He rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure if "fun" was the word he'd use. He ended up taking a few days off work after Miral left to recover. It was all worth it though, because now he had the only home in the quadrant with a fully-functioning Borg alcove in the basement. A sudden realization dawned on Kathryn, and she asked, "If the alcoves are still on _Voyager_ , how have Seven and Mezoti been regenerating?"

"They have two mobile regenerators, which have done their job, but they aren't as efficient. Seven has also been slowly transitioning from regenerating to sleeping at night. She usually sleeps most nights now and regenerators every week or so. The Doctor has been closely monitoring her to make sure there's no lasting damage. So far, everything's been running smoothly." Kathryn was glad to hear that. If anything, it showed her that Seven's transition was continuing to go smoothly, as if she expected anything else from her. She was also glad to hear that Seven was still working to regain her humanity, and it sounded like she was making large strides towards becoming a fully-functional human.

A comfortable silence fell over the pair as they took a few minutes to enjoy their coffee and get lost in their own thoughts. Simply being together felt wonderful to both of them, as if they hadn't been separated for several months.

Finally, Kathryn asked, "So you've been in your new house for a few weeks. When do Seven and Mezoti move in?"

"First thing tomorrow morning," Chakotay replied. "I'm taking tomorrow off, which will give me tomorrow and the weekend to help them get settled. On Monday, Seven starts teaching about Borg technology and tactics at the Academy. I'll be home with Mezoti in the evenings when she gets home from school.."

"It sounds like you have it all planned out."

"Mezoti will be easier to take care of than Miral, someone just has to watch her until she's old enough to take care of herself." It really wasn't that difficult. While Mezoti could sometimes be a little bit of a troublemaker back on _Voyager_ , she really was harmless and always meant well. In a few years, she'd be able to stay home by herself in the evenings, which would allow him to keep more normal hours at Headquarters. Until then, they would have to adapt.

Kathryn was surprised at how nonchalant Chakotay seemed about this. He made it sound like all he had to do was rearrange his life a little bit, but everything would mostly stay the same. While she wasn't a mother herself, she knew from others that it wasn't that easy.

"Chakotay, this is going to be a huge change, for all three of you. You've lived alone for years, and it would be hard enough adjusting to Seven moving in with you, but she's bringing a little girl with her. It's going to be difficult for all of you. Not only does Mezoti have to continue getting used to living on Earth, but now she has to get used to sharing the woman she sees as her mother with someone else full time now. Everyone's roles are going to change now as they get used to this."

"Mezoti's very flexible, she'll be fine." Kathryn wasn't entirely sure. While it was true that Mezoti was fairly easy going, this wasn't something simple like changing bedrooms. There were many factors that went into this change.

"I hope you're right." She took a sip of coffee and collected her thoughts. She was excited to see Chakotay and Seven's relationship moving forward, but she she had her doubts that this move would be as easy as Chakotay made it out to be.

Flickers of doubt about Mezoti started to creep up in the back of Chakotay's mind, but he easily chased them away. They'd always gotten along fine when they were on _Voyager_ , so why should this be any different? Besides, after surviving the Delta Quadrant, how hard could it be to help raise a nine year old girl? She was independent and fairly obedient, which would make this ordeal significantly easier.

He leaned forward in his chair and asked, "So tell me, how's Indiana?" Kathryn shrugged.

"The same it's always been, hot in the summers, cold in the winters, and there's always work to be done on the farm. I wouldn't change it for the world though. After all the chaos of the Delta Quadrant, it's nice to be able to sit back and relax for a little while. I actually finished a book."

"Impressive." Chakotay couldn't remember the last time he sat down and read a book cover to cover. He tried more times than he could count, but something always seemed to come up. As a result, he had a stack of books to read on his bookshelf with the promise that he'd read them one day.

"I know, I was so proud of myself that I read another one. There's talks of giving me a command in the next few months, but I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. After a seven year posting, I think I've deserved a break." Chakotay couldn't help but find it ironic; here he was, longing for a posting and not getting one, while Kathryn didn't want one, and they were trying to give her one. If only they could change places, then everything would work out perfectly.

"Well any ship that gets you will be lucky to have you."

"That's just the thing, after seven years, I can't imagine being on any ship but _Voyager_ , and I can't imagine anyone other than you telling me that my ideas are reckless and ill-conceived."

"If you ever need someone to do that, just call me, and I'd be happy to oblige. I doubt anyone else will stand up to you like I did." He had a point there. Most First Officers didn't go out of their way to argue with their Captain on a regular basis like he did; it was one of the things she loved the most about him.

"For now, the only thing arguing with me is this angry pig I have. I swear, every time I go to feed it, it tries to bite off my hand. It's a vicious creature." Chakotay laughed. He didn't know how she had the patience for such antics. "When you, Seven and Mezoti get settled, you should all come out for a vacation. I have plenty of room, and I'm sure Mezoti will enjoy all the little bugs and creepy-crawlies all over the farm."

"We'll be sure to visit." It sounded like the perfect vacation once things settled down, a chance to relax a little and get away from the chaos of the city, Headquarters and the Academy. First, he had to get through tomorrow, then he could focus on going on vacation. It wasn't like he had to worry about leaving his ship behind. He was sure Starfleet could manage without him for a few days.

Kathryn stayed in Chakotay's office for another hour and a half. It hadn't been her intention to stay that long; in fact, she only planned to stop by for a few minutes to see how he was doing before heading back to Indiana. She should have known that that wouldn't happen though; it had been too long since they'd talked, and they had so much catching up to do. They also took the time to reminisce on various members of the crew they'd seen in recent months. Tired of space travel, some, such as Tuvok, retreated to their respective planets as they began the difficult transition back to normal life. Others, such as Tom, were promoted and continued to work for Starfleet, although that wasn't exactly easy either. After spending seven years with the same hundred and fifty people, the quadrant seemed so large and imposing.

As she stood up to leave, Kathryn gave Chakotay a warm hug and kissed him on the cheek. He returned the affection. Neither wanted to let go, as it meant that she had to leave, but he knew she couldn't stay here forever. Both of them had work to do, and they'd already spent significantly longer than they intended together. Reluctantly, Kathryn pulled away and headed towards the door.

"It was good to see you, Chakotay."

"Likewise, Kathryn." She turned to face him.

"Just remember what I said about Mezoti," she warned on her way out the door.

"It'll be fine, Admiral." There was a teasing sparkle in his eye. She pretended to look unamused, but a smile snuck its way onto the corner of her lips.

"I'll call next week to see how everything's going." She figured that that would give everyone enough time to at least start getting used to their new living arrangements. She wanted to know how everything went. She doubted he would feel so nonchalant about this next week. It would be interesting to hear what he thought about his living conditions in a week's time.

With Kathryn gone, Chakotay was free to return to the mountain of his work waiting for him on his desk. Although he was thrilled to see her, her visit delayed his work, and now he would have to work late. He'd never dream of complaining though, Kathryn was his best friend and most trusted confidante. He didn't mind working late if it meant spending time with Kathryn. Thankfully, he didn't have anyone to return home to...yet. Figuring it was the last night he'd probably be able to do this for a while, he might as well take advantage of it and get as much work done as possible. While he tried to downplay it, he knew that tomorrow his life was going to change.

It was after 2000 hours when Chakotay finally left his office. He simply couldn't work anymore, the numbers and words on his PADD swam in front of him, and his neck was starting to tighten from bending over the PADD for hours on end. Not only did Kathryn's visit put him behind on his work, but he also had to make up for the fact that he wasn't coming in tomorrow and wouldn't be able to get much done this weekend. For the next three days, all he wanted to do was focus on helping Seven and Mezoti get settled. Anything that happened at work over the next three days, he'd take care of when he got back. Everyone seemed to forget that he was here, so why should it all fall to pieces when he left?

Shadows stretched along the long, empty corridors as Chakotay exited headquarters, giving the building an eerie, haunted appearance. Every once in awhile, a beam of light from an office shot across the floor, signaling someone else who was working just as late as him. It was reassuring to know he wasn't the only one who put in such long hours. There were probably some officials who slept here on occasion. He and Kathryn had both slept in their offices a few dozen times over the course of their time in the Delta Quadrant; when you're stranded tens of thousands of lightyears from home, you had to do what you had to do. He wrongfully assumed that when he got back to Earth, working long hours would be a thing of the past. While he didn't consistently work long, draining hours, there were still nights, such as this, when he was forced to work far later than he planned.

After a brief commute, Chakotay landed his shuttle in front of his house; it was a perfectly normal looking house on a perfectly normal block. It was the quintessential suburban neighborhood. The structure had large windows to let in as much sunlight as possible during the day. The solar panels on the roof captured energy to run the house at night. As he exited the shuttle, Chakotay looked at the yard. Part of the reason he selected this house was the large front and back yards, which he hoped would give Mezoti enough room to play and be a normal child. When he entered the house, the stairs leading up to the bedrooms was on his right, next to the hallway that led from the foyer to the rest of the house. He kicked off his shoes and headed down the hall, taking the two steps down to the family room. His feet immediately thanked him for being released from their synthetic leather prison as he padded down the hall. The furniture was homey, yet functional, a perfect combination of his and Seven's personalities. Unable to help himself, he'd decorated with many artifacts he'd collected from the Delta Quadrant, along with other little trinkets to give the home a more comfortable appearance. Additionally, thick, colorfully woven blankets from his people's tribe draped along the backs of the couches that sat perpendicular to each other in front of the fireplace with a large computer screen for watching transmissions above it. Just like the front of the house, large windows along the back on either side of the fireplace gave a view of the backyard. The skeletal outline of the playground he'd assembled for Mezoti stood out against the moonlight. The playground had been a pain in the ass to put together. He had an understanding of warp mechanics and the inner workings of a variety of starships, and it was a simple child's playground that gave him a run for his money. It was actually quite embarrassing.

The house felt eerily quiet as Chakotay mounted the two steps to the left of the living room to the kitchen. He stood in front of the replicator positioned in the back left corner of the kitchen for a few moments, considering getting a snack, but he ultimately decided against it and instead headed upstairs to his bedroom. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and he wanted to get a good night's sleep. His footsteps echoed off the hard floors, giving the house an additional sense of hollowness. He hadn't noticed how empty the house was until he thought about it and the fact that tomorrow it would be filled with talking and laughter. After years, it was his last night living alone, a thought that both terrified and excited him. It was the start of a new and exciting chapter.

The second Chakotay's head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep. He hadn't realized just how tired he was until he crawled into bed and felt the feather soft mattress beneath him. He'd probably stayed at the office a little bit longer than he should have. Unfortunately, his sleep didn't last long. A high pitched beeping floated through the air and permeated his dream. At first, he thought it was his imagination and simply rolled over and flung his arm across the expansive kingsized bed as he ignored the obnoxious noise, but that was when the flashing light caught his attention. The PADD on his bedside table continued to beep and flash, telling him someone was trying to call him. Groaning, he propped himself up on one elbow and ran his hand over his face before grabbing the device and answering the call. The beeping immediately stopped as the video image appeared on the screen; the bright light momentarily blinded him. Once the stars stopped dancing before his eyes, Seven's face materialized in front of him.

"You were asleep," she observed bluntly. "I should have been more sensitive of the time."

"It's fine," Chakotay assured, how voice husky with sleep. When it came to her, he was more than willing to forgo a little bit of sleep to talk to her. "What's up?"

"I tried to call you about an hour and a half ago, but you didn't answer. I wanted to confirm the plans for tomorrow." He laid back down against the soft pillows and held the PADD in one hand so he could continue the conversation. As soon as he did so, he instantly regretted it, as he felt like he was going to fall asleep mid conversation, which had happened several times in the past.

"I worked late today. What time do you think you and Mezoti will get here?"

"Mezoti is a little bit slow in the morning, but I estimate our arrival to be sometime after 0900 hours, if that works for you."

"I told you, sweetheart, whatever time you want to get here is fine with me, I'll be awake and waiting for you." Seven smiled. He could see in her eyes that she was both excited and nervous about tomorrow. He was glad to know that he wasn't the only one who felt that way. "How was your day today?"

"Satisfactory," she replied. "I am worried about the curriculum I have outlined for my class. It may prove to be difficult for many cadets, especially when compared to other Academy courses."

"I'd expect nothing less than difficult and grueling coursework from you," Chakotay teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Just remember that perfection isn't necessary."

"Perfection should always be strived for," Seven argued firmly. "If everyone strived for perfection, the world would be a far better place."

"That's Borg mentality, you're on Earth and teaching at the Starfleet Academy. Your students may not be able to attain Borg perfection. I know you have a lot of information to teach them, but you may have to adapt your curriculum to help your students to be more successful." As she thought about the notion, her brow furrowed in confusion and frustration.

"It would irresponsible to leave out important material simply to ensure more students are passing my class."

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that think about how you present the information and remember that not everyone is perfect. A paper can be high quality but not perfect. The lack of perfection shows that there's something still to attain and strive for." She shook her head.

"I am Borg, perfection is essential."

"But you're also human, and perfection is impossible to achieve. Just keep that in mind." Her face fell as she thought about the news. She knew he was right. To expect all her students to attain perfection and keep up with the amount of material she had to present the second they walked into her classroom was an impossible feat. They would have to be trained to reach perfection. If she found a way to balance it all out, her students should be able to learn about the Borg and reach perfection by the time she was done with them.

"How was your day?" Seven asked in an attempt to shift the conversation away from her and her obvious imperfections. She would have to think carefully about what he said as she proceeded to plan out the rest of her curriculum.

"It was good. Kathryn stopped by to say hi." The mention of the Admiral caused a sparkle to appear in Seven's eyes, and she sat up taller.

"How is the Admiral doing?"

"She's good." For a moment, Chakotay thought about bringing up the conversation the two of them shared about Mezoti's adjustment, but he ultimately decided against it, as it would most likely only cause Seven to start over analyzing everything, just like she had when they first started talking about moving in together. "She invited us out to her farm in Indiana once you and Mezoti get settled, like on a vacation."

"To a farm," Seven stated bluntly. Her tone gave away the fact that she wasn't sold on going out to Indiana for a few days only to stay on a farm in the middle of nowhere. While she wasn't an expert on vacations, she didn't think visiting a farm sounded very relaxing. It would be wonderful to see the Admiral though, it had been a while since they'd seen each other and undoubtedly had a lot of catching up to do.

"We don't' have to make a decision right now, it's just something to think about."

"Very well, we can discuss it further at a later date. Right now, you need to sleep, and I need to make sure Mezoti has properly packed." If Mezoti's habits on _Voyager_ were any indication, Chakotay knew everything was probably shoved into random bags scattered across the small apartment, leaving Seven to make sense of all the chaos. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't get the child to be organized like herself.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning. I love you."

"I love you too." Both of them paused for several seconds before Seven ended the transmission. Chakotay paused while his eyes adjusted to the darkness once again. He tossed the PADD onto the bedside table and rolled over. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep once again.

 **Author's Note:** There you go, I hope you liked it! This story will definitely have a sequel (which is already partially planned out) and possibly be part of a trilogy, I have to figure out some logistics first. Make sure to leave a review and let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

At 0900 hours on the dot, the doorbell rang. Smiling, Chakotay shook his head as he walked down the hall to answer the door with his beloved coffee in his hand. He didn't need to peek outside to know that it was Seven and Mezoti, who were right on time. Instead, he just opened the door, revealing both of them. At their feet sat one medium sized duffel bag that he recognized as Seven's and two larger ones he assumed belonged to Mezoti.

"Hey," he greeted. "Is this all you have?" he asked as he motioned towards the bags. He knew Seven was a woman who lived a simple lifestyle, but he still expected her to have more than just one bag.

"No, I have two more bags in the shuttle," Mezoti replied as she glanced back towards her small shuttle sitting next to his on the driveway.

"Go retrieve your bags," Seven ordered. Mezoti didn't need to be told twice. She dashed down the gravel path to the shuttle. Taking advantage of the moment alone, Chakotay wrapped an arm around Seven's waist and kissed her softly. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she returned the affection. They hadn't seen each other face to face in a while, and she missed the feeling of his large body beneath her touch and his lips pressed against hers.

"I'm so glad you're here," he confessed softly.

"Your offer was very gracious. It would have been inconsiderate to turn it down." Right as he leaned in for another kiss, Mezoti's feet crunched against the gravel as she returned with two more smaller bags slung over her shoulders as if they didn't weigh anything at all.

When Seven reached down to grab the bags at her feet, Chakotay interjected, "Let me." Ever the gentleman, he grabbed the two larger bags and slung one over his shoulder, which gave him the chance to pick up Seven's bag as well. While Seven's bag felt light as a feather, Mezoti's each weighed ten kilos easily. "What did you pack, rocks?" he teased.

"I brought my books, toys, clothes and several other personal items," Mezoti answered. Her face fell. "Is that alright?"

"Of course it is. This is your house too." Mezoti still felt uneasy about the amount of belongings she'd brought; she knew it was a lot, but Seven assured her that she could bring everything from their apartment, so she did. Perhaps she should have recycled more items, surely all of this wasn't necessary. As she unpacked, she was confident she would find some things she didn't need and could therefore recycle them. In the meantime, this was what she had packed.

Inside, Chakotay lead Seven and Mezoti straight upstairs so they could drop off their bags before showing them the rest of the house. The stairs ended at the end of a hallway, which hooked around to the left, disappearing out of sight.

"First stop, Mezoti's room," he announced. There was a sense of pride in his voice as he was finally able to show off all his hard work. Despite Seven's adamant protests, he refused to let her see the house, not even a virtual one, as he wanted it all to be a surprise. With a groan that once again made Mezoti feel self-conscious about the amount that she'd packed, he dropped both the larger bags in front of the closed door. "Are you ready to see your new room?" When he looked at her, there was a hint of excitement in her eyes although she kept her expression fairly serious. He opened the door, revealing a bright, sunny room. The walls were painted a cheerful peach. An oak bed sat against the wall on the right, thrusting out into the middle of the room. Wedged into the far corner sat a desk with shelves built into the wall above it to hold her books. What books didn't fit on the shelves could find a home on the bookshelf next to the closet door. Next to the bedroom door was a tall, thin dresser. All of the oak furniture was made out of the same oak material. As he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and looked over the room, Chakotay couldn't help but feel proud of himself; he'd planned out the bedroom all on his own with the hope that Mezoti would like it. He'd originally intended on making some of the furniture on his own, but given the short amount of time, this would have to do for now. "What do you think?" he asked. It was difficult to tell how she felt. Her eyes flitted from one end of the room to the other several times, taking it all in.

"I've never had my own room before," Mezoti stated.

"Well, this room is all yours. Make yourself at home."

"What do you have to say to the Captain?" Seven prompted from where she stood behind Chakotay. She peered over his shoulder and ran her fingertips along his forearm lightly. It was a subconscious touch, something she didn't even realize she was doing. She had to admit, she was very impressed with his handiwork. She knew how much time and effort he'd put into creating a comfortable space for both of them.

"Thank you, Captain." It felt strange to hear her call him "Captain." He didn't want her to see him as an imposing authority figure, but someone she could approach and have a close relationship with. By calling him captain, however, he felt that that wouldn't happen, but that was something he would address later. Right now, he wanted to make sure Mezoti made herself comfortable.

"How about you unpack?" Chakotay suggested. He picked up the bags he'd left in the hallway and put them inside before sliding his hand into Seven's. They both hear the distinct sound of Mezoti upending one of her bags and as she wasted no time dumping the contents all across the floor in search of one particular item.

"She will have the room in chaos before 1200 hours," Seven quietly informed him.

"That's why we just close the door," he explained as he pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. Unlike Seven, he didn't mind if there was a mess, he knew Mezoti had a penchant to be unorganized, but he saw that as part of being a child. Unlike Seven, he wasn't going to let something as trivial as a messy room bother him. He just wanted to make sure she was comfortable here.

With Seven's bag in one hand, Chakotay lead her down the hall, past the bathroom across from Mezoti's bedroom that was designated for her, both their offices that were partially hidden behind half open doors, all the way to their bedroom at the end of the hall. When they got there, he dropped the bag and scooped Seven up in his arms bridal style. Her arm instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life, although she trusted him not to drop her.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she wiggled in an attempt to break free. She was more than capable of walking on her own.

"It's a tradition to carry the woman over the threshold," Chakotay explained as he struggled to open the bedroom door while simultaneously keeping a tight grip on Seven. If he dropped her, he'd never hear the end of it.

"That tradition is reserved for newly married couples," she pointed out in an unamused tone.

"Just married, just moved in together and living in sin, it's practically the same thing," he said with a shrug. The door clicked, signaling that it was open. Temporarily leaving behind Seven's bag, he carried her over the threshold, kicking the door closed behind him in the process. "There, now we've made it official," he murmured as he lowered her to her feet. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Not yet," She pulled him down so their lips could meet in a soft kiss. Chakotay's hands rested on her waist as he returned the affection. Her fingers tangled in his hair, unintentionally pulling on it, causing him to groan. Seven was about to cut off the kiss to see if he was alright, but he continued kissing her, which told her that he was alright.

In her bedroom, Mezoti looked around. In a matter of minutes, she'd managed to scatter toys, books and clothes across her bed and the majority of the floor, but none of the mess bothered her. In fact, it was almost a bit comforting; Seven always kept their apartment a bit too clean for her liking. It felt strange to have a space to call her own. Not even the apartment she'd just come from did she have her own bedroom, she and Seven had to share one bedroom. Now, she had somewhere she could retreat to when she wanted some space. Chakotay had done his best to decorate her bedroom, but she couldn't wait to personalize it and make it her own. The first thing she did was pull out a framed holoimage of her and Seven, which she put on the bedside table next to the bed. Mezoti pushed some of the random personal effects to the side, creating space for her to sit. The bed bounced underneath her as she ran her fingers over the soft, light blue bedspread. It was very considerate of Chakotay to provide her with a bed. Seven was trying to get her to sleep more and regenerate less, just like she did most nights. It was very difficult, but she somehow managed to sleep a handful of times a week Back in the apartment, she had a small, utilitarian bed that was hardly comfortable, but this bed felt like a cloud to Mezoti. With a bed like this, there was the possibility that she might be able to sleep a little bit better at night.

Realizing she was wasting precious unpacking time, Mezoti jumped off her bed and began to dig around. Confusion crossed across her face as she looked around for several of her books, which she couldn't find in the mess she'd made. She dug through the piles that popped up all over the place as she attempted to get settled in. The particular books in question were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they'd accidentally ended up in Seven's bag. It was a longshot, but it was the only explanation she could think of, so she headed down to search for her mama.

The first room Mezoti encountered was a small bathroom across from her bedroom. The walls were painted a light green, trimmed in dark green and pink, giving it the appearance of being in a garden. It wasn't the master bedroom, so she continued her search. Next, she found a small office dominated by a large desk with a computer sitting on it. Based on the number of PADDs scattered across the desk and a forgotten coffee mug, it was easy for her to conclude that this was Chakotay's office. Immediately, she felt like she was intruding on some sort of sacred ground. Wide eyed, she backed out of the office, making sure to leave the door open exactly the same amount as she had found it, so he wouldn't know she had invaded his privacy, even if it was unintentional. The room across from Chakotay's office and next to her bedroom turned out to be a second office, which Mezoti assumed was for Seven. The only room left was at the far end of the curved hallway, so it only made sense that that was the bedroom. Without bothering to knock, she opened the door and went inside.

In the master bedroom, Chakotay lowered Seven onto the bed and crawled on top of her while keeping his lips latched to hers. They'd been so wrapped up in the moving process for the past few weeks, that they barely had two seconds to think about anything else. Their legs tangled together as he braced himself against the bed so he didn't crush her. Seven found the addition of weight on top of her oddly comforting. One of her hands tangled in his hair while the other slid under his shirt and across the smooth expanse of skin stretched across his back. Her fingertips trailed along his spine before splaying across the center of his back. One of her legs hooked around his waist, pulling him closer against her as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, hungrily begging for more.

Both Chakotay and Seven were so wrapped up in their intimate moment that they didn't hear the door creak open. Wide eyed, Mezoti poked her head inside. It took her a moment longer than it should have for her to realize that she was intruding on an incredibly private moment between her mother and Chakotay.

"Mama?" she squeaked meekly. As soon as she spoke up, she realized she probably should have backed off and come back later. When Seven didn't respond, she repeated herself louder. "Mama?" That was enough to catch Seven's attention. Gasping, she pushed Chakotay off of her and immediately sat up. Her hair had come loose from its French twist, and blonde strands framed her flushed face. Feeling equally embarrassed, Chakotay ran his hand over his face and tried to regain his composure. This was an unforeseen consequence of having a little girl in the house.

"You didn't knock," Seven scolded as she attempted to tuck the flyaway hairs back into their proper place. Her expression was a combination of embarrassment from being caught and frustration from Mezoti just walking into their bedroom.

"I wasn't aware that that was necessary," the child defended.

"Of course it is, it's proper behavior." Seven climbed off the bed and stood over her with her arms folded behind her back. "What do you need?"

"I can't find my entomology books. Have you seen them?" Mezoti asked innocently as she looked up at her adoptive mother with her large, brown eyes. Most people would immediately soften when they're looked at like that, but Seven remained unmoved as she folded her arms behind her back.

"All of your belongings have been brought in from the shuttle."

"I don't see them."

"Well look again." Seven's voice was definitive and annoyed, telling the child that she should comply before she got in any more trouble. She'd barely been here for half an hour, and she'd already broken a handful of rules. She needed to be more careful.

"Yes, Mama," she muttered as she hung her head in shame. She turned and dragged her feet back to her room. She should have looked more carefully before barging into the bedroom without knocking.

Unlike Seven, Chakotay was moved by Mezoti's apologetic expression. He should have expected something like this to happen eventually, but he thought it would take a bit longer. He got to his feet and fixed his shirt, which had been pushed up around his chest.

"We should have been more careful," Seven quipped as she headed to the bathroom to fix her hair properly in the mirror.

"It was bound to happen at some point," Chakotay pointed out as he followed after her to the bathroom.

"We've been here approximately fifteen minutes." He sighed. She had a point there, but he wasn't going to get bent out of shape about it. Mezoti had seemed more upset about being scolded for not knocking than what she saw when she walked in. "How about I give you a tour of the rest of the house?" he suggested as he motioned towards the bedroom door, which Mezoti had closed firmly behind her

"I should oversee Mezoti's unpacking to ensure everything is put away properly." When Seven tried to walk past him, Chakotay put out his arm and caught her by the waist.

"She's nine years old, she can unpack by herself. You have to let her handle things on her own. She's an individual, Seven." She looked up at him with a conflicting gaze. She knew he was right, but, on the other hand, she wanted to make sure everything was done properly. "Let her be herself. If her room's a mess, that's fine. You couldn't even walk in my bedroom when I was her age. No matter how much my dad complained, I never could keep it clean for longer than a day or two."

"I'm sure your father found that very frustrating. What did he do?"

"We used to fight about it all the time, he tried bribing me to keep it clean, then tried grounding me when it wasn't clean, and once he even threatened to recycle everything, but nothing worked. Eventually he realized that it wasn't that I wasn't doing it out of malice, I simply wasn't an organized person; he stopped bugging me about it, and eventually I got fed up with the mess and cleaned it up on my own. It's all a part of being a kid. As long as it's reasonably cluttered, I think I can live with it if you can." Seven looked hesitant. She'd spent the past several months since their return to Earth micromanaging Mezoti in order to instill in her proper organizational techniques, but nothing ever seemed to stick.

"I will adapt," she finally relented with some hesitation. The thought of allowing Mezoti's chaos to resume, even behind the closed door of her bedroom, set her on edge, but she was willing to give it a try. Chakotay gave her his boyish grin. As soon as she saw those dimples, she visibly relaxed. It was hard to stay upset with him when he flashed her one of those smiles.

"Come on, let me show you the rest of the house." Although Seven had seen holoimages of the house, and he even gave her a virtual tour during one of their nightly calls, but their hectic schedules had prevented her from actually setting foot in the house until now. She trusted him to get everything together, and so far, he hadn't disappointed her.

Chakotay guided Seven downstairs to the living room so he could show her the rest of the house. The sun streamed through the large windows and bounced off the vaulted ceilings. She looked up. The high ceilings gave the room an open feeling, almost as if they were outside.

"Having a ceiling that high is an inefficient use of space," she commented.

"It might be inefficient, but it's nice and open." Just like Mezoti's bedroom, all the furniture was oak, giving the room a warm, comforting appearance. Seven wandered over to the table that stretched along the back of one of the couches. Arranged along the table were a handful of framed holoimages, including one of the entire crew of _Voyager_ , taken upon the starship's return to Earth. There was also the photo taken of the Senior Officers in the Delta Quadrant when they celebrated Ancestor's Day next to a photo of Chakotay and Kathryn with their arms slung around each other and huge smiles plastered across their faces. Even in a holoimage, it was easy to how much they cared about each other. The final holoimage was the same one in Chakotay's office back at Headquarters. At the very end of the table rested an empty frame. Confused, Seven picked it up and turned to face him. He could read her like a book and explained, "I wanted to save that for a photo of you and Mezoti."

"I believe I have one saved that I can give you." Their old apartment hadn't been decorated at all; she hadn't seen the point in such endeavors. Now that she saw the collection of holoimages, however, she did start to understand the appeal. It was like looking back at old, beloved memories, even for a few moments. She put the frame down and headed to the kitchen to continue on her tour.

In addition to a replicator, the kitchen was fully stocked with all the appliances necessary to make a meal from scratch. Everything was metal plated and shiny, a stark contrast to the warm tones that filled the rest of the house. Seven ran her fingers along the appliances. Her and Mezoti's apartment had been outfitted with little more than a replicator, making it nearly impossible to prepare any sort of elaborate meal from scratch. As a result, both she and Mezoti had grown accustomed to quick and easy meals. With a kitchen this large and well stocked, however, she could only begin to imagine all the delicious meals they could prepare.

"I haven't really used the appliances that much," Chakotay confessed as he replicated himself a fresh cup of coffee. "It's just been me, so I've been replicating food. I was thinking of making a nice home cooked meal tonight."

"I'd be happy to assist you." He leaned over and kissed Seven's forehead softly right above her implant.

"It's a date." She smiled.

"Come on, I want to show you the backyard." She hadn't even thought about the yard. In her mind, she was only focused on the physical house and everything inside it. The front of the house had been full of lush grass with a small garden dotted with a handful of bushes, hardly worth noting, but when she glanced outside, she discovered the backyard was far more impressive.

Chakotay slid open the door behind the kitchen table, and they stepped down onto a stone patio. The patio housed a table and chairs for entertaining. Past the patio was the rolling grass of a large backyard, complete with a small playground for Mezoti about seven meters away. Several large trees dotted the backyard. There was also a hammock swinging lazily between two secure metal posts.

"I usually eat out here," Chakotay explained. "After living on a starship for so long, I can't get enough fresh air."

"Mezoti will enjoy this. She'll undoubtedly fill her room with specimen containers of bugs shortly." That was the plan. Chakotay wanted Mezoti to get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. He always heard the laughter of neighboring children in the evening as they burned off some energy. With any luck, Mezoti would join in with them.

After showing off the backyard, Chakotay led Seven down to the basement. The entire floor was cool and dark, thanks to the cement floor and limited lighting from the small windows scattered along the ceiling, which sent patches of light across the floor. The only real light was the distinctive green glow of Borg technology that came from the alcove sent up on the far wall. The machine hummed, ready to be used whenever necessary.

"B'Elanna was here the day before yesterday putting the finishing touches on the alcove. She said that you shouldn't have any problems, but if you do, call her or Harry. Either of them can stop by to fix it," Chakotay explained as he opened a door, revealing his workout equipment, including free weights and a punching bag, which took up one half of the room, and woodworking equipment, which took up the other half of the room.

"Is this your man cave?" Seven teased. She'd recently come across that phrase while researching cohabitation with significant others and found the concept amusing.

"I guess it is," Chakotay replied as he closed the door. "Sorry it isn't more cheerful down here."

"It's appearance is irrelevant. We will be down here to regenerate, not appreciate its aesthetics." After three years regenerating in a cargobay, a basement wasn't a big deal to her. Thanks to her ability to start sleeping through the night, she wouldn't be down here as often anyway.

After a tour of the house, Seven returned to the master bedroom to unpack her clothes while Chakotay retreated to his office to get some work done for an hour or so. He felt bad abandoning her after she just arrived, but she insisted that there was no need for him to help her, as all she had to do was unpack her clothes. She took out each bodysuit from the duffel bag on the bed, carefully refolded it, and put it in one of the drawers Chakotay had cleaned out for her. She wouldn't have enough clothes to fill all the drawers, but that didn't bother her; she never was one for material possessions. She was quickly learning, however, that children came with lots of stuff, whether it's clothes, toys, books or random personal objects that she didn't quite understand. She had no idea why Mezoti had so much stuff, there was no way she could possibly need all of it. Seven pulled out one of two dresses she had and hung it up in the closet, which was accessed through the spacious master bathroom, next to Chakotay's Starfleet uniforms.

When Seven returned to the bedroom, she found Mezoti perched on the edge of the king sized bed with her feet dangling above the ground. She looked completely at ease here already, as if she belonged here.

"Have you finished unpacking?" she asked as she breezed across the room to finish putting her clothes away.

"I'm hungry," Mezoti replied.

"That isn't what I asked you. Have you finished unpacking?" Seven was getting a little frustrated; she'd asked a simple enough question and expected a simple enough response. Mezoti shrugged.

"I have some more work to do," she admitted. "It's a lot of work." Perhaps saying there was some work left was an understatement, but she didn't want her mother to think she'd been wasting all this time.

"Do you require assistance?" Mezoti stopped to think. She knew it was very kind of her to offer, but the thought of her mother standing over her, micromanaging every last detail made her stomach twist up in knots. She would just boss her around, which would stress her out.

"I can unpack by myself, but right now I'm hungry."

"You're nine years old and fully capable of using a replicator on your own. I fail to understand why you need to come tell me that you're hungry." As she spoke, Seven walked back and forth between the bed and the dresser, carefully putting away each of her bodysuits one by one. It amazed Mezoti at how easily her mother stayed organized while she had to go out of her way to attempt to stay somewhat organized and tidy. It wasn't fair. When Seven turned back around from putting away another bodysuit, she stopped directly in front of her. "I thought you were hungry."

"Oh." She jumped down from off the bed and scurried out the door to the kitchen. She was fully capable of preparing a meal on her own...with the help of a replicator of course.

With her brown hair trailing behind her, Mezoti dashed down the hall. As she passed by Chakotay's half open office door, she made sure to slow down so she didn't disturb him. She could see him bent over his desk, focused entirely on the work in front of him as he gripped a cup of coffee with his free hand. Once she passed his office, Mezoti picked up her pace once again. She bounced down the steps, swung around the banister at the bottom and went down the hall to the living room. Having been so focused on her bedroom, she didn't have a chance to fully explore downstairs yet.

This house was far nicer than Mezoti thought it would be. When Seven first told her that they were moving in with the Captain, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but it wasn't this. She thought they'd move into a small house, nothing so large and expansive. Temporarily forgetting her original mission to come down here for food, Mezoti explored the living room. Shelves mounted on the wall displayed various artifacts from the Delta Quadrant, which immediately caught her attention. Some items she recognized, but many she didn't, as she'd only been on _Voyager_ for a short amount of time when compared to the rest of the crew. Even so, just seeing objects from the Delta Quadrant was oddly comforting. She ran her finger lightly over a strange black rock streaked with shimmering blue and red veins. As soon as she did, she felt like she'd broken some kind of rule and dashed across the living room and up the two steps to the kitchen where she found the replicator. While she'd been hungry, she had no idea what she wanted to eat. Finally deciding on a simple bowl of cereal, she replicated it and sat at the kitchen table.

As she ate, Mezoti couldn't help but notice the large backyard. While the small playground assembled, complete with swings, a slide and little clubhouse, certainly looked tempting, she couldn't help but think about all the bugs she could find in the backyard. Living in an apartment meant that her ability to find bugs had been greatly limited. With a backyard that size, however, she couldn't even begin to imagine all the interesting bugs out there waiting for her to discover them. To her, that was more exciting than having her own room or anything else.

That evening, Seven sat on the couch in the living room reading a book when Chakotay sat down next to her. Sensing he wanted to talk, she noted what page she was on and put the book to the side before turning slightly to face him properly.

"What do you want to do for dinner?" he asked. She hadn't given much thought to dinner that evening. Usually, she simply replicated something simple and called it a night. With a kitchen as nice as this one, however, the possibilities were endless.

"I haven't thought about it," she confessed. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking of making spaghetti."

"Spaghetti sounds perfect." He gave her knee a reassuring squeeze. "Do you require help?"

"I don't require help, but I'd be glad to accept some from you." That was all the prompting Seven needed to get to her feet. Chakotay followed in suit, and they headed to the kitchen to make the first of what they hoped would be many meals together in their new house.

It didn't take long for Seven to realize that making spaghetti with Chakotay was a little more complicated than she originally expected. She incorrectly assumed that they would simply replicate the sauce and then cook the pasta. Apparently Chakotay had other plans as he replicated the ingredients to make the sauce from scratch. Making the sauce from scratch didn't bother her, in fact she knew food from scratch tasted far better than anything the replicator could produce.

"Do you know how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch?" she inquired as he began to dig out pots and pans from a cabinet. The metal clanged against each other as he searched from the proper pots he needed. The noise echoed off the walls, preventing him from answering her question right away.

"I've done it a few times," he replied as he finally found the correct pot and put it on the stove. "Usually I just replicate food, but there's something I like about making a home cooked meal."

"What do you need me to do to help?" Chakotay stopped to think.

"How about you start by cutting up the tomatoes?" Seven began to dig through the drawers in search of a knife. After opening and closing several drawers without finding what she needed, she was finally successful and could start preparing the tomatoes.

It didn't take long for delicious smells to start wafting through the air, indicating that both Seven and Chakotay were successful at preparing a meal together. Deciding to see if the sauce tasted as good as it smelled, he dipped a spoon into the sauce and took a small taste. It was absolutely delicious, far better than any spaghetti sauce he'd made in the past.

"You want to try?" he offered as he dipped the spoon into the sauce again and held it out to Seven. She dubiously eyed the outstretched spoon before awkwardly leaning forward and tasting it.

"I had no idea you were such a talented chef," she commented.

"Well, I have wonderful help." He kissed her softly. "I'm so glad you're here," he murmured against her lips. "I've missed seeing you every day."

"You see me every day when we call each other," Seven pointed out as she lifted the lid on one of the pots to see if the water for the pasta was boiling. It wasn't.

"But that's not the same as you being here, being able to hold you, kiss you, touch you." To make his point, he ran his fingertips along her upper arm, causing her to smile. She felt the same.

"I've missed that too," she confessed softly. Temporarily abandoning her role as chef, she turned to face him. "This house is perfect." He couldn't help but smile. For her to compliment him like that was a very big deal. "You have gone out of your way to create a space that both Mezoti and myself will be able to enjoy. I don't know how to thank you." He slid an arm around her waist and drew her close.

"You don't need to thank me, I did this because I care about both of you, and I want you guys to be happy here. This is your house too, so if there's something you want to change or add, just do it."

"There is something I would like to change…" She trailed off. Chakotay had no idea what it could be, he really felt he had gotten everything down perfect. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "The towels in the downstairs bathroom don't match the walls." Laughing, he crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to look offended, but he found her answer amusing.

"Really? Of all the things you're going to comment on, you're going to pick the towels in the bathroom?" he teased.

"You asked me if I had any suggestions, and I provided you with one. If you want me to come up with more, I'm sure I can look over the house for more flaws." There was no doubt in his mind that she would do that if he asked.

"No, no, it's fine." He brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face and stroked her cheek affectionately. "Replicate whatever color towels you want. It doesn't matter to me." He was sure she'd find other changes she'd want to make to the house as she continued to get settled, and that didn't bother him at all. A feminine touch was greatly needed around here.

It didn't take long for the smell of dinner cooking to float all the way upstairs to Mezoti's room. As if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly. Having been caught up in setting up her room, she hadn't even realized how hungry she was. Before heading downstairs, she looked around her room. While it may not be as neat and organized as her mama might like, she felt proud of herself for the progress she'd made. Most of her books and all of her specimen containers lined the shelves above her desk and the bookshelf while other books scattered across her desk, along with several sketches she'd recently made of various bugs. She had no idea what she wanted to do with them right now, which meant they blanketed the surface of her desk. Her clothes were mostly away in her dresser drawers, but colorful pieces of fabric poked out from the partially open drawers. A few articles of clothing still littered the floor, along with the bags she had packed everything in. For right now, she was satisfied with her work and wanted to see what was for dinner.

When she got downstairs, Mezoti poked her head into the kitchen to see what was for dinner. She found Seven and Chakotay laughing and chatting carelessly. She immediately felt like she imposing on something special between the two of them. Right as she was about to turn to leave, Chakotay saw her out of the corner of his eye.

"How's your room coming along?" he asked as he took the pot of pasta off the stove to drain it. Dinner was just about done.

"Good, Sir," she replied. "Do you want any help?"

"You can set the table," Seven replied as she produced three plates from a high up cabinet and handed them to Mezoti. While the girl went to set the table, Seven grabbed three glasses and three sets of silverware. Mezoti dutifully set the table, making sure everything was perfectly arranged. It was time for them to share their first of what would hopefully be many meals together as a family.

 **Author's Note:** Leave a review and check out my other Chakotay/Seven fic, titled, "Coming Clean". It's a completely different vibe than this one. I'm also so excited to announce that this fic is the first of a trilogy. Originally, it was just going to be two, but inspiration struck, and it would be horrible not to take advantage of the muse.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The computer beeped, Mezoti's light brown eyes fluttered open. Her regeneration cycle was complete, prompting her to step down from the alcove. The dark, unfamiliar basement made her feel uneasy, as if someone could be hiding in the shadows. It was completely irrational, but she couldn't help it. She darted up the steps quickly and suddenly skidded to a stop at the top. The sun's faint rays crept across the horizon, telling her that it was still fairly early. Feeling like she was intruding on somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, she headed straight upstairs to her bedroom where she knew she was allowed to be. For a moment, she thought about seeing if Seven was awake, but then she remembered when she walked into her and Chakotay's bedroom yesterday. Not wanting a repeat of that, she ultimately decided against it and instead retreated to the safety of her bedroom, leaving the door half open behind her.

The first thing Chakotay felt when he woke up was confusion. For a moment, he forgot that Seven was there and couldn't figure out who the warm body was curled up next to him belonged to. It felt like it had been a lifetime since he'd woken up to someone else in his bed, but he wasn't complaining. Instead, he tightened his grip around Seven as he curled his body around hers; their bodies fit together perfectly, as if they were meant to lay like this. She mumbled something incoherent under her breath but didn't wake up. Her blonde hair tumbled across her shoulders, partially obscuring her face. Chakotay brushed her hair back from her face and ran his fingertip along her jaw. She remained fast asleep, giving him the opportunity to appreciate how beautiful she was. He loved the way she parted her rosy lips slightly as she slept. When paired with the gentle blush that crept across her cheeks and the stark difference between her dark lashes and pale flesh, she thought she was absolutely gorgeous in every sense of the word.

Unable to help himself, he kissed behind her ear softly, and murmured, "I love you." Figuring that he might as well get up, he gave her one last kiss before climbing out of bed and heading downstairs.

As he passed by Mezoti's room, Chakotay saw that the door was partially open and heard noise inside, indicating that she had finished regenerating and emerged from the basement. Temporarily forgetting about going downstairs for his morning coffee, he decided to see how Mezoti was doing. Rather than just walk in, he knocked on the door politely.

"Come in," Mezoti called. When Chakotay entered her room, she jumped off her bed and stood up properly.

"Mezoti, there's no need for you to do that," he insisted, although he knew it was an old habit from their time on _Voyager_.

"Yes, Captain." Sighing, he sat on the edge of her bed and patted the spot next to her. She immediately sat down. Her back was ramrod straight as she sat about half a meter away from him and looked at her hands folded neatly on her lap. It didn't take a genius for him to figure out that she was uncomfortable.

"Mezoti, are we on a starship?" he asked gently. She shook her head.

"No."

"Then there's no need for you to call me captain."

"Then what should I call you?" He stopped to think. With all the planning he'd done with this move, he hadn't really thought about what Mezoti would call him. He'd honestly been more focused on getting the house ready for her and Seven that personal issues like that slipped his mind.

"You can just call me Chakotay." She looked uneasy about the informal designation, but she would find a way to adapt just like she always did. Chakotay glanced around the bedroom. While the room certainly was more chaotic than it had been just twenty-four hours earlier, he liked the personal touches. "You've done a great job in here." He stood up and began to look around. The drawings tossed across the desk caught his attention. He picked them up and looked them over. "Did you draw these?" Mezoti stood up and nodded meekly.

"I couldn't analyze many bugs in our apartment, so Mama could get me books about bugs, and I drew those."

"They're excellent. You're very talented. You should hang these up." As he spoke, he motioned towards the empty wall above the side of the desk and next to the window. Mezoti's eyes lit up with excitement at the notion.

"Can I?" she blurted out.

"Of course you can. This is your room. As long as you don't knock down the wall or draw all over everything, you can do as you please." She was starting to get the feeling that Chakotay would let her get away with a lot more than Seven. She wasn't complaining, because it meant that she was free to decorate her room however she wanted.

When Seven awoke, she was alone in bed. Not in any particular rush to get up this morning, she stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. Without Chakotay next to her, this bed seemed monstrous. She had no idea why in the world he thought they would need such a huge bed; nobody needed this much space to sleep. If anything, it seemed like an inefficient use of space to have a bed this large. On the other hand, the bed was incredibly comfortable, far better than the bed she'd left behind in her apartment. Between that and the company throughout the night, it was the best night's sleep she'd ever had. Hopefully, there would be many more nights like this to come.

Downstairs, Chakotay sat at the kitchen table reading the daily news on his PADD and drinking a cup of coffee while Mezoti sat across the table from him eating a bowl of cereal and reading one of her entomology books. One of her knees was bent, wedging itself between her torso and the table. It looked incredibly uncomfortable, but she seemed completely unfazed as she kept her eyes firmly locked on her book. It was the picture of domestic bliss, or at least that's what Seven thought as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," she greeted as she lightly touched Mezoti on the head affectionately before leaning over Chakotay from behind and kissing his cheek.

"Good morning yourself." He put down his PADD and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "How did you sleep?"

"My sleep was satisfactory," Seven replied as she replicated herself a nutritional supplement. "I am more concerned with Mezoti's regeneration cycle." At the sound of her name, Mezoti's head shot up. She'd been so wrapped up in her book that she didn't hear what they were talking about.

"Huh?" Seven pursed her lips. She hated when Mezoti used such informal utterances that she picked up from various members of the crew, Tom Paris being the main offender.

"How was your regeneration cycle?" she repeated, clearly frustrated that she had to repeat herself.

"I didn't detect any problems during the night. It was successful. Lieutenant Torres did a good job at assembling the alcove."

"I'll be sure to tell B'Elanna next time I talk to her," Chakotay commented before taking a sip of his coffee. "So, Mezoti, what do you have planned for today?" The little girl shrugged.

"I have to complete my studies for the day," she replied. "Other than that, I don't know."

"It's supposed to be a nice day outside, maybe you can go outside and play for a little while."

"Maybe," Mezoti said with a shrug. She hadn't really thought about playing outside, although she could see that Chakotay had gone out of his way to ensure she had enough activities to keep her entertained in the backyard. It was definitely something that she could consider, after she completed her studies of course.

Once he was done with his breakfast, which was little more than a cup of black coffee, Chakotay headed upstairs to shower and get dressed for the day. As he stumbled through the bedroom, he shed his pajamas and tossed them carelessly on the bed with the afterthought that he'd put them away later, although he knew that that probably wasn't going to happen.

"Computer, activate sonic shower," he ordered. The computer built into the house beeped as it complied with his command. The low frequency waves bounced off the partially enclosed shower, giving them an almost ethereal sound. The sound temporarily amplified as he stepped into the shower and closed his eyes to spend a few minutes alone.

In an attempt to relax, Chakotay tilted his head from side to side. The tight muscles stretched, and the joints popped, instantly releasing some of the tension. When he opened his eyes, a fleeting movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention and nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. Out of instinct, his hand shot out to grab the nearest towel to cover himself up until he realized that it was just Seven, who was also in the process of getting ready for the day. Accustomed to showering and living alone, he'd forgotten about her.

"Damn, Seven, you scared me," he exclaimed over the noise of the shower. Unbothered by the exclamation, Seven continued to stand in front of the mirror and pin her hair back in its typical French twist with a calm expression on her face.

"That was not my intent."

"I know, but still." With her hair appropriately styled, she crossed the bathroom and stood in front of him, completely unfazed by the fact that he was naked.

"Do you want me to leave so you can shower in peace?" He took her hand in his, and their fingers laced together.

"Let's not do anything rash," he murmured affectionately as he pulled her into the shower. As soon as Seven crossed the threshold of the shower, sonic waves washed over her, instantly relaxing her as well. "I like the company." He took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss, which she gladly returned without a moment's hesitation.

In a surprisingly fluid movement, Chakotay spun Seven around so she was pressed up against the side of the shower. The tile felt cold against her back while his strong body felt warm against her touch. She snaked her arms around his neck, and her human hand tangled in his hair, holding his lips firm against hers. One of his hands released her from his grip and trailed along the curves of her bodysuit and along her thigh until he got to her knee. He grabbed her leg, hoisting it up to hook around his hips. His other hand slid to tangle in her hair the best he could given the fact that it was tightly fastened back, not that that deterred him. Chakotay tore his lips away from hers, but only for a moment before turning attention to the gentle slope of her neck. As soon as his lips brushed across the sensitive flesh, she inadvertently moaned and tugged on his hair, which only encouraged him to continue. It took him a few moments, but he finally found the one spot that drove her crazy just below her ear. Seven gasped in surprise, but it quickly turned into a moan as he nibbled and sucked at the soft flesh, determined to get even more of a reaction out of her.

Both Seven and Chakotay were so caught up in the moment that they didn't hear the first knock. It wasn't until the second, louder knock did they realize that Mezoti was calling them.

"Mama?" It sounded like she was in the bedroom searching for them. Chakotay pried his lips from Seven's neck and stumbled backwards as he ran his hand over his face. Wide eyed, Seven's eyes immediately shot over to the bathroom door. Thinking they were safe in their bedroom and capable of having a few private moments, she hadn't bothered closing the door, which meant Mezoti could wander in without any warning and catch them in an even more precarious situation than yesterday.

"At least this time she knocked," Chakotay commented bitterly as he attempted to take several deep breaths to calm himself down. He really had been hoping to have some private time with Seven.

"I should see what she wants." Seven stumbled out of the shower. As she exited the bathroom, she attempted to fix her hair so Mezoti wouldn't catch on to what they had been doing, pausing only to close the bathroom door firmly behind her so Chakotay could finish his shower in peace.

"Computer, increase pitch of shower," Chakotay commanded gruffly. The computer beeped as it complied. After his lustful encounter with Seven, he was going to need the highest pitched shower he could to calm himself down again.

Having learned her lesson from yesterday, Mezoti stood in the doorway to the master bedroom with the door cracked open so she could call out for her mother. It was a definite improvement over yesterday, but she still had awful timing. Seven continued to tuck her hair back in its French twist, her fingers mechanically going through the motions as she crossed the bedroom.

"What do you need?" she asked, her voice coming out a bit edgier than she intended.

"You haven't given me my academic assignments for the day," Mezoti replied innocently. Seven couldn't help but sigh. Of all the things to be interrupted for, it had to be something as trivial as today's lessons.

"Very well." She ushered Mezoti towards her office so she could transfer the lessons from her computer to her daughter's, which she thought she had done last night before going to bed. Had she done so, all of this could be avoided.

Seven couldn't help but feel frustrated. It wasn't Mezoti's fault, and she certainly didn't blame her, but it was incredibly frustrating. When she agreed to this living arrangement, she knew that she and Chakotay wouldn't be able to spend every waking moment together, but there was something about Mezoti, she always seemed to have the worst timing. All she wanted was an uninterrupted half hour with him so they could enjoy each other's company. They'd recently started exploring the more intimate side of their relationship the past few month, something she was definitely enjoying. At first, Seven thought that sex was little more than a mating ritual that humans engaged in. With Chakotay, however, it was so much more than that, it was sensual, romantic, passionate and something she craved. There was something indescribable about his touch, the way he knew exactly what she wanted without her having to speak up; she never expected any of that during sex. It caused her to want more, which had been incredibly difficult given their previous living relationship. She'd hoped that moving in together would give them a little bit more time to explore their private relationship. As of right now, however, that didn't seem to be happening.

After a few hours of completing her mandated studies from her mother, Mezoti was starting to feel restless. She looked at the drawings scattered across her desk underneath the books and PADDs she'd previously been studying. After her conversation with Chakotay that morning, she'd replicated a handful of pushpins with the intention of taking his advice to hang up some of the drawings. Deciding to take a break from her studies, she gathered up her artwork and began to arrange them on the wall, creating a layer of drawings of bugs and insects. Some were basic outlines, just meant to show the general shape and makeup of the bugs, while others were more detailed. A handful just showed zoomed in aspects of various insects: a leg, an antenna, a wing; giving the viewer a better appreciation of the delicate intricacies of the bug. No detail, no matter how small, had been overlooked. With a scrutinizing eye, Mezoti carefully analyzed each drawing, looking for the perfect placement on the two perpendicular walls to display each drawing.

Downstairs, Chakotay grabbed his book and headed outside. The weather outside was perfect and irresistible. The sun shined brightly overhead, and a gentle breeze rustled the trees. It was a comforting sound layered on top of the birds singing and the distant sound of children playing somewhere in the neighborhood. Today was the perfect day to go outside and enjoy the weather; to stay inside would be a crime. Chakotay stretched out in his hammock and opened his book. The tight ropes beneath him swayed slightly, rocking him as his eyes skimmed across the page. He was quite enjoying this long weekend, it gave him time to enjoy himself, a rare luxury given his chaotic work schedule at Starfleet Headquarters. At least for a few days he'd be able to relax a little bit.

It was silent in the house, eerily so as Seven sat behind her desk looking over her lesson plans for her first week at the Academy. It had to be the third or fourth time she'd looked over the lessons, carefully looking for any imperfection so it could be rectified immediately. There was something about teaching at the Academy that tied her stomach in knots. She'd only ever taught Icheb and the children before; they were a small group, and it hadn't taken much to impress them. In all actuality, her lessons for the Academy were vastly different from the lessons for the children on _Voyager_. With the children, her lessons had to be highly interactive, masking learning in engaging activities. With the Academy, on the other hand, her lessons were full of content; it was of the utmost importance to relay as much information as possible into the limited amount of time they had together. As a result, Seven found herself struggling to determine what to include in the lessons. Everything seemed so important, and she didn't want to risk leaving out something. The Borg were unpredictable, and the cadets were relying on her for the most up to date information. The last thing she wanted to do was leave out something that could end up saving a life in the future.

Needing a break from her work, Seven put down her PADD and leaned back in her chair. Unlike the rest of the house, which was warm and inviting with personal touches scattered all over the place, her office was sterile and simple. It didn't fit in with the rest of the house, but it certainly fit with her personality, Chakotay had made sure of that. It was a small room, just a little bit bigger than Mezoti's bedroom, but it was all the space she needed. A plush circular black carpet took up the center of the room. The far wall housed two white bookshelves with a black panel sandwiched between them. In front of the bookshelves sat Seven's desk. It had a large, oval glass surface. The body of the desk was a black shape that curved backwards before branching off into two legs to support the rest of the desk. It was simple and functional, and yet, artistic in an abstract way. There was nothing else in the office, not that Seven needed anything else. She knew Chakotay had a penchant for decorating walls with paintings and other works of art, which was something she didn't quite understand, but at least her office provided her some sort of reprieve from all of that. Sometimes simplicity was best.

When she attempted to go back to work, Seven found that she needed a longer break. Her lessons were as close to perfect as they were going to get for the time being. She could hear Chakotay's voice in her head, urging her to take a break, to step away and let the lessons be. There was only so much she could stare at the same information before she went crazy. She put her PADDs to the side and headed downstairs to see where Chakotay was. She found him lounging in his hammock with his book. He was so caught up in his reading that it took him a few moments to realize that he wasn't alone. Finally, he glanced up from his book.

"I thought you were working," he commented as he marked his place and closed his book.

"I have decided to take a break and join you," Seven said as she folded her arms behind her back and sized up the hammock. "Although I fail to see the pleasure you derive from some a primitive device."

"Oh, Seven, it's not that bad." He tossed his book to the ground carelessly and reached out for her hand. "Come on, join me."

"There isn't enough room," she argued.

"Yes there is. Come on, babe, it'll be nice. Just the two of us, laying out, enjoying this beautiful day." He winked playfully. "Just a for a few minutes." He flashed her one of his cheeky, boyish grins that highlighted his irresistible dimples; it was enough to make her heart melt, it was her one weakness with him. There was no way she could say no to such a charming smile.

"Very well," she consented with an annoyed roll of her eyes. She leaned over awkwardly as she attempted to figure out the best way to proceed. She'd seen hammocks before and knew they required a great deal of balance to be utilized properly, which was made more difficult by the fact that Chakotay was already laying in it.

"Here." As carefully as possible, he inched over. It didn't give her a whole lot of room to work with, but she carefully sat down, leaning her hip against Chakotay's side in order to maintain equilibrium. His arm closest to her stretched out along the hammock, not only to help with balance but also to serve as a makeshift pillow. Seven swung her legs up and nearly jumped out of her skin when the hammock began to tilt to the side, nearly sending the two of them tumbling to the ground. He shifted his weight slightly, instantly balancing out hammock.

"This is highly inefficient for a relaxation device," she griped as she laid down on her side with her arm draped across his waist and her legs tangled with his. He looped his arm behind her, drawing her close. His fingers brushed against her side, mindlessly drawing small circles.

"That may be so, but you have to admit that it's comfortable." The twists in the rope dug into her back as they cuddled together, but she kept that comment to herself. She was more concerned with spending time with him. Perhaps she would grow to appreciate this hammock over time, although she seriously doubted it.

As they laid together, Seven rested her head on Chakotay's shoulder, giving him the ability to press his cheek against the top of her head. Unable to help himself, he kissed the top of her head softly, causing her to smile slightly at the tender affection. Neither one of them spoke, instead focusing on relaxing and enjoying a few stolen minutes of time together.

"Seven, can I ask you something?" The past few minutes had been consumed by comfortable silence as they were each consumed by their own thoughts. Mindful of the precariousness of their current position, Seven was hesitant to shift her weight and look up at him properly.

Instead, she simply nodded and replied, "Of course." She continued to stare out across the yard, watching a butterfly dancing across the grass in search of a flower to land on.

"Are you happy here?" With her free hand, she groped for his hand. Once she found it, their fingers laced together. It was an automatic response for both of them that they found comforting.

"Seeing as I have only been here for a little over twenty-four hours, it is difficult to ascertain my true happiness here. I can tell you that I find this living arrangement a significant improvement over our previous one. You have gone out of your way to ensure Mezoti and I are comfortable, for which we are both grateful. I don't know how to repay you." He scrunched up his nose and shook his head in disagreement.

"There's no need for you to repay me, my love. I'm just glad to have you and Mezoti here with me." He kissed the top of her head once again. "I love you."

"I love you too." She continued to hold his hand, mindlessly playing with his long, strong fingers as she watched the butterfly until it finally bounced over the fence surrounding the perimeter of their property. It was a strange realization, this was her property as well as Chakotay's, something they shared and could enjoy for many years to come together.

Mezoti glanced out her window and saw her mother and Chakotay laying in the hammock together. Despite the fact that they were in the middle of the backyard, she felt like she was intruding on some sort of private moment between the two of them and looked away. Thankfully, her computer perched on the edge of her desk underneath the discarded sketches that didn't make it up on the wall began to chirp and ring, telling her that someone was trying to call her. Mezoti's heart fluttered with excitement, there was only one person who called her. She shoved the papers to the side and wrenched open the computer, instantly pressing the appropriate buttons to answer the call. Naomi's beaming face appeared on the screen.

"Mezoti!" she exclaimed excitedly as she waved with both hands and seemed to bounce up and down in her seat. Before Mezoti could properly greet her friend, she continued, "How are you? How's the house? What's it like living with the Captain? I bet it's exciting. I wish I lived there or nearby, I bet it's exciting." Mezoti was about to point out that Naomi kept describing it as exciting but ultimately decided against it, as she didn't want to cause her friend to get upset; it had been over a week since they'd last talked, and she missed her greatly.

"The house is decent. The Captain...I mean Chakotay has gone out of his way to ensure Mama and I have everything we need to be comfortable. I do have to admit that it is nice to have my own room."

"Let me see it. I want to see it." Mezoti complied. She picked up her computer and slowly turned in a circle, giving Naomi a complete view of her room and the mess that she'd already made. "Wow, that's really nice. I'm jealous. My room isn't that nice."

"I'm sure your room is sufficient for what you need it for," Mezoti commented as she returned the computer to its proper place on the desk and took a seat. Naomi shrugged.

"It's okay, I guess. You know how Federation housing it, it's just like _Voyager_ , boring and all the same with grey walls and grey carpets and grey everything." Perhaps Naomi was being a bit over-dramatic, but Mezoti knew that that was how she was. "So tell me, what's it like living with Captain Chakotay? I bet it's so much fun, he's always been so fun and laid back." Mezoti shrugged indifferently.

"I've only been here for one day, so it's hard to determine how it is. Like I said, he's gone out of his way to make me feel comfortable…." She trailed off as she tried to find the right words to describe how she was feeling. There were aspects of living here that she liked, such as having her own bedroom and the large backyard that she couldn't wait to explore. On the other hand, she knew she'd already committed a serious transgression (or at least serious in her mind) but walking in on her mother and Chakotay in their bedroom yesterday.

"But?" Naomi prompted.

"It is difficult sharing my mom with him. I am used to being able to talk to her whenever I desire, so yesterday I walked into their bedroom." Naomi's eyes grew wide. She may be just a little girl, but she had a pretty good idea where this was going. Try as she might, she simply couldn't suppress a giggle. In all honesty, she'd done the exact same thing when she and her mother were first reunited with her father. For five years it had just been her and her mother, and then she had to adjust to her father being in the picture. In a way, it was a very similar situation to what Mezoti was going through. "I fail to see how that's humorous," Mezoti snapped in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry. I did the same thing to my parents when we first got back also. It's really hard, but at least you know Chakotay, I didn't even know my dad when we got back. The only things I knew about him was what my mom told me and a few quick conversations on _Voyager_ ; he was a complete stranger."

"Were you nervous?" Naomi nodded.

"Yeah, but also excited. I mean, he's my dad, and I love him."

"Chakotay's not my dad though," Mezoti muttered under her breath, just barely loud enough for Naomi to hear. She glanced out the window to see if her mom and Chakotay were still in the hammock together. From where she was, it appeared that they both had fallen asleep despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. The backyard hardly seemed like the best place to take a nap in her opinion.

"But he may be one day. Who knows, maybe Chakotay and Seven will get married, and then you'll be a real family." Marriage had never occurred to Mezoti. That would officially make them a family, which wasn't something she was prepared for. Naomi could see the pained expression on her friend's face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I never considered the fact that they might get married one day," she admitted softly

"Of course they might, they're in love, everyone can tell." Mezoti chewed nervously on her bottom lip and glanced away from the computer screen. "You don't want them to get married, do you?"

"Of course I do," Mezoti argued. "At least I think I do. I'm uncertain."

"Why?"

"What if they don't want me here anymore? I already feeling like I'm intruding. They're so happy together, and I'm simply here. I don't feel comfortable here."

"Well make yourself comfortable," Naomi chirped optimistically. "It's your house too." Mezoti sighed. If only it were that easy. She wanted to feel more comfortable here, but she had no idea how. It was something that was far easier said than done.

 **Author's Note:** There you go, chapter 3! Make sure to leave a review and check out my other fic: Coming Clean. It's a Chakotay/Seven story, but it's vastly different from this one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Mama?" The voice was distant, barely more than a vague sound floating through the air. Originally Seven thought it was a part of her dream, causing her to mutter something under her breath as she rolled over and shook her head in protest. "Mama?" The voice came back, this time a little bit louder and more coherent. She cracked open one eye and saw Mezoti standing uncomfortably next to the bed, barely half a meter away from her. "Mama?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

"Is something wrong? Are you damaged?" Seven asked as she propped herself up on one arm. A million terrible thoughts rushed to mind at warp speed as she tried to figure out what could be so important that Mezoti would show up at her bedside in the middle of the night. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure Mezoti hadn't woken Chakotay. The dark lump next to her snored softly, indicating that he was completely oblivious to the intrusion and still fast asleep. She had quickly learned that he could sleep through just about anything, but she still wanted to be sure Mezoti's intrusion hadn't woken him, as he had work in the morning.

"I can't sleep, and I don't need to regenerate."

"I fail to see why you felt it necessary to wake me up. We all have to get up early, and this is an inefficient use of time." Mezoti chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

"Can I sleep with you?" She sounded so innocent, yet unsure of herself. She'd never asked for something like this before, and she wasn't sure how Seven would react; it seemed highly intrusive, but she saw no harm in asking.

"Mezoti…" Seven's tone clearly gave away that she thought the suggestion was a terrible idea. She firmly believed that there needed to be some sort of boundary established, and this seemed to cross that boundary.

"I'm nervous about starting school tomorrow," the child blurted out in an attempt to get her mother to comply. "Just for tonight? Please, Mama?" Seven was about to say no, but when she looked in her daughter's eyes, her heart began to soften. It was understandable to be nervous; her research told her that it was common for children before their first day of school, and it was her job as mother to comfort her.

"Very well." She sounded reluctant as she slid over and lifted up the blanket. Smiling, Mezoti climbed into bed and cuddled up against Seven. At first, Seven felt uncomfortable having the small body pressed against her. After a while, however, she found the warmth oddly comforting. She instinctively stroked the child's hair.

"I love you, Mama," Mezoti mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too." For someone who supposedly couldn't sleep, it only took a few minutes for Mezoti to fall asleep safe in her mother's arms. Seven looped her arm around her protectively, and sleep quickly consumed her once again as well.

Chakotay's alarm went off, blaring loudly and instantly shattering his sleep. He slammed his hand down on the device, turning it off. Since he still had a few more minutes before he had to get up, he rolled over and wrapped his arm around Seven. When his arm hit a second body, he immediately sat up and tried to figure out what was going on. That was when he noticed Mezoti, fast asleep in Seven's arms. He had no idea when that happened, when he went to bed, it was just the two of them.

"Seven," he whispered as he shook her shoulder. She twitched and shook off his touch. "Seven." Her eyes opened, and she rolled over to face him. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he nodded towards Mezoti's sleeping form.

"She couldn't sleep and asked if she could sleep here. I meant to wake her up and send her back to her room before you woke." He looked over Seven's shoulder, at least now Mezoti appeared to be fast asleep. Chakotay pecked Seven on the cheek.

"You're a wonderful mother," he murmured. A warm blush crept across her cheeks. She'd never really thought about her parenting skills before, she simply followed her instincts and hoped for the best. She'd been unsure about letting Mezoti into bed with them, but apparently it had been the right choice.

"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him softly. "But you have to get up if you're going to get to work on time." He knew she was right, no matter how much he wanted to stay in bed with her. He stole one last kiss before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom to shower and change

Once Chakotay was in the bathroom, Seven turned her attention to Mezoti, who was still fast asleep and oblivious to all the noise around her. She hated to wake her, especially when she looked so peaceful, but she had overstayed her welcome, and it was time for her to return to her own room, although as soon as she did so, she'd just have to get up for school, so she might as well just get up and get her day started.

"Mezoti, it's time to wake up," she stated bluntly as she shook her daughter's shoulder. Mezoti grumbled and pushed her hand away. "Mezoti, wake up."

"Just a few more minutes," she begged as she rolled over and held the blankets tightly around her as if that could stop her.

"Comply." Seven's tone was firm and forceful, making her message crystal clear. Mezoti knew that tone, and she knew she better get up. Glowering with frustration and exhaustion, she rolled out of bed and stumbled to her feet. She was about to ask where Chakotay was but the sound of the sonic shower running quickly answered her unspoken question. Seven followed her lead and got out of bed. "Go get dressed and ready for school. I want to approve of your outfit before we leave."

"Why?" Mezoti whined. She instantly regretted it, as her mother glared angrily at her, telling her that such a tone was completely unacceptable.

"Because the first day of school is your chance to make a positive first impression on your teacher and your peers. Part of that includes a suitable outfit."

"You never did this before."

"No, but today I will, now comply." Grumbling under her breath in abject protest, Mezoti turned on her heels and stalked out of the room. She was nine years old and felt perfectly capable of getting herself dressed for the day, after all, she'd been doing that for two years now with complete success.

With Mezoti gone, Seven produced a dark blue bodysuit from the dresser and got dressed herself. She smoothed her hands along the gentle swells of her hips and examined her reflection in the full length mirror hanging in the corner. As with the rest of her bodysuits, the fabric clung tightly to her body, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her appearance was of the utmost appearance, especially today. Just like Mezoti, she had to make a good first impression today; this was the first real job she'd ever had, and it was imperative that everything go perfectly. She folded her pajamas and laid them out under her pillow for tonight before heading to the bathroom to finish with her morning routine.

Chakotay stood in the sonic shower, allowing the sound waves to course over his body, helping to chase away the last remnant of sleep that still gripped him. When the bathroom door opened, he almost grabbed a nearby towel to cover himself up out of instinct until he remembered that it was just Seven. She stood in front of the vanity and started to run a brush through her hair.

"You should wear your hair down," Chakotay called over the noise from the sonic shower. "It looks beautiful down."

"How my hair looks is irrelevant," Seven commented as she pulled it back into its usual French twist. He turned off the sonic shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"I beg to differ." He leaned against the counter next to her. When he got a closer look, he could see anxiety in her crystal blue eyes. Suddenly, how she wore her hair really was irrelevant. "What's wrong?" he asked as he gently turned her to face him. He ran one hand down her arm, taking her hand in his. Seven was about to argue that nothing was wrong, but she knew better than that. He could read her like a book, just like she could do the same to him.

"I am feeling some anxiety about today," she confessed. "I have never taught a Starfleet class before, and I hope my preparations are adequate."

"I know they will be. Every single one of your students will be lucky to have you as their instructor. Besides, everyone gets nervous on their first day of work. My first day back at Headquarters, I didn't sleep at all the night before. I knew the stigma that came with being a former Maquis, and I was a nervous wreck about it. I also knew that I had earned my place there, and Starfleet doesn't make any mistakes. You are going to be one of the best instructors at the Academy, I have no doubt."

"Your ability to always know what to say is comforting." Seven sincerely meant it. No matter what, Chakotay always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better, even if she struggled to articulate her feelings clearly, which had happened several times; it was one of the things she loved so much about it. He never passed judgement and always had the right thing to say to make her feel better, no matter what was going on.

"It's part of the job description." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "So, I was thinking…" Seven raised her eyebrow in intrigue. "You and I will be working right near each other, which means it wouldn't be completely unreasonable to ask you to join me for lunch."

"Are you sure that's appropriate?" she asked.

"People do it all the time," Chakotay replied with a shrug. He'd seen so many spouses and significant others stop by offices or in the mess hall for meals. In fact, there were many times when he saw Tom and B'Elanna eating together in the mess hall, just like on _Voyager_. It always reassured him that some things never changed. Seven still looked unsure, he could see it in her eyes. "Okay, how about you let me know how you're feeling around 1200 hours? If you're up to having lunch, that's fine, but if you have a lot of work to do, I'll understand. Is that reasonable?" She wrapped an arm around his neck.

"I believe I can comply." It was the best he was going to get, which was fine with him. He knew how chaotic the first day of a new job could be, and he didn't want to add to the stress by forcing her to promise him something like this.

Right as Chakotay leaned down to seal the deal with a kiss, a small voice from the bedroom called out, "Mama?" He sighed. So much for that. He was starting to believe that her cranial transceiver always told her when the two of them were having a private moment, thus encouraging her to interrupt them. "Mama? You said you wanted to look at my outfit." Based on Mezoti's voice, she was standing in the bedroom searching for Seven.

"I need to oversee Mezoti's preparations for the day." She kissed his cheek softly and patted him on the chest right above his heart. "And you need to get in your uniform." She was right, just like she always way. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry up.

Mezoti stood in the bedroom wearing a purple dress over a pair of dark green leggings and black ballet flats. Her hair was styled in its usual braids, keeping it tied back from her face. With her arms folded behind her back, Seven closely scrutinized her daughter's appearance.

"Your shoes are scuffed," she observed. "But other than that, your appearance is acceptable. Go downstairs and eat breakfast. You will need to fix your shoes before you leave." It was a simple enough problem to fix, and most parents probably wouldn't care if their children had scuffed shoes, but Seven wasn't most parents, and her daughter would look perfect today, no matter what. Mezoti couldn't help but feel proud of herself. She had been expecting her mother to find several flaws with her outfit and had another outfit already planned out, just in case.

"Yes, Mama." Seven appraised Mezoti's outfit one last time as she dashed out the door and down the hall to the kitchen. She looked at the clock. Realizing they had to get going, she also headed downstairs as well.

After a quick breakfast and change of shoes for Mezoti, she and Mezoti were out the door and on their way to school. The school was only ten minutes away by shuttle, and the entire time, Mezoti felt sick to her stomach with anxiety, although she did her best to hide it. Seven landed her shuttle in front of the school and looked over at Mezoti, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat and made no effort to unbuckle herself.

"I don't feel well," she complained. "Can I go back to the house?"

"No, today is your first day of school, and they are expecting you here. There is no need for you to be nervous."

"That's easy for you to say, you've never been to school before," she grumbled. The accusation stung, but Seven put on a steely outward appearance. Yes, she had no recollection of ever getting a formal education, but that didn't mean she couldn't sympathize with her daughter. In fact, today more than ever she understood how she was feeling because she felt the same way about her first day working at the Academy. Unlike her daughter, however, she had managed to keep her emotions concealed.

"That may be true, but I have felt my share of discomfort. I feel the same way right now." The admission surprised Mezoti, who looked at her mother with wide eyes, prompting her to continue. "I have never had a job outside of _Voyager_ , and I am unsure how my students will react to my outlined curriculum and presence at the Academy, but Chakotay and I talked about it this morning."

"What did he say?"

"He said that the Academy is lucky to have me, which is undoubtedly true for your situation as well. This school is very fortunate to have you as a part of its student body. While it may be a difficult adjustment, I have no doubt that you will adapt and soon look forward to school every day, just like many students."

"But what if nobody likes me?"

"You are a very likeable child. You will make friends quickly." Seven unbuckled herself and stood up. "We need to go before I am late for my first day." Not wanting to be the cause of her mother's tardiness on her first day, Mezoti unbuckled herself and followed her out of the shuttle. It was now or never.

Just like many buildings in the area surrounding San Francisco, the school was a square, grey building, hardly anything worth noting. To Mezoti, it looked more like a prison than a school. Large windows lined the two story building, causing it to appear to shine in the early morning sunlight. Laughter filled the air as students who had arrived early chased each other and played on the fenced in playground that started in front of the school and wrapped around the back where the sports fields were. Several students stopped to openly stare at Mezoti and Seven as they walked side by side along the sidewalk and up the steps. Mezoti couldn't be sure if they were staring at their implants or the fact that she was Norcadian, a species completely unheard of in the Alpha Quadrant. Either way, she hated the gaping, it made her feel like an animal at the zoo. Feeling self-conscious, Mezoti slid her hand into her mother's, who gave her a reassuring squeeze. It was a small action, but it worked wonders making her feel better, at least for the time being.

The inside of the building matched the exterior, it was drab and uniform, hardly the welcoming environment Mezoti expected at an elementary school. The high ceiling caused Seven's footsteps to echo against the tile floor as she lead Mezoti to the glassed in main office just to the right of the main entrance. An elderly Bajoran woman sat at the front desk with her eyes glued to the computer console in front of her, forcing the guests to wait impatiently.

When Seven found she couldn't wait any longer, she blurted out, "Excuse me, I require your assistance." The secretary rolled her eyes and finally looked up from whatever was so important on her computer.

"May I help you?" she asked, obviously annoyed with the interruption.

"This is my daughter, Mezoti, she has been enrolled in your school, and today is her first day." The secretary nodded and began to type on the computer but stopped after several seconds.

"What was the name again?"

"Mezoti," Seven repeated. This wasn't a good first impression. The secretary typed the name into the computer and read over the information on the screen.

"Here it is. She's in Ms. Coalburg's class. You're going to go out this door, turn right, at the end of the hall, turn left, and it'll be the third door on the left. Got it?"

"I have an eidetic memory," Mezoti assured. "I will be able to find the classroom on my own." The secretary looked relieved that she didn't have to get up and escort Mezoti to her classroom so she could go back to pretending to do her job.

"My, uhh….her, ummm...someone will be here to pick her up at the end of the day."

"Okay, whoever comes can pick her up right out front at four."

"Thank you." Clearly unimpressed with the lack of professionalism on the part of the secretary, Seven guided Mezoti to the other side of the office so they could talk in private. "Chakotay will pick you up at 1600 hours where I dropped you off. I office hours until 1800 hours, then I'll be home."

"Okay, Mama." Seven cupped Mezoti's chin in her hand, forcing the child to look up at her. Although Mezoti gave the outward appearance of being cool and collected, she could see in her dark brown eyes that she was absolutely terrified.

"Do you want me to walk you to your classroom?" She shook her head, if she showed up to class on her first day with her mother, the other students would make fun of her, and it would be much more difficult for her to make friends. With her implants and ridge along her nose, she already stood out enough, and she didn't want to make it worse by walking around with her mom, no matter how much she secretly wanted her to come with her. "Remember what we discussed on the shuttle."

"Yes, Mama." She threw her arms around Seven's waist and looked up at her. "And you remember what Chakotay told you." Seven smiled. Although she wasn't nearly as nervous as her daughter, her words were still comforting.

"You're going to be late." She pulled away from Mezoti and looked over her appearance one last time to make sure she looked presentable. She smoothed down her hair and tugged on her dress, causing the child to wiggle uncomfortably.

"Mama, stop," she whined. Seven knew she was right. Not only did Mezoti have to leave, but she had to get going if she was going to make it to the Academy on time. She ran her fingers over her daughter's hair one last time before leaving.

Clutching the straps of her backpack tightly, Mezoti made her way down the crowded hall. In the few minutes she'd been in the office, children began to spill into the building from outside, filling the halls with noise and laughter. Children darted down the hall, chasing after their friends, only to be reprimanded by staff members stationed along the hall to watch and ensure everyone behaved. Everywhere she looked, Mezoti saw students laughing with their old friends without even noticing her. She wondered if she would ever be like them, so carefree and with friends her own age. She'd spent so much time around adults, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to fit in with kids her own age. Yes, she had had Naomi, but between her close relationship with Seven and the fact that they were the only little girls on the starship, it was a given that they would become friends. This was entirely different; there were plenty of children here to become friends with, so nobody had to be her friend. Everyone already had their own circle of friends, and they all ignored her. Would they like her? Mezoti became self-conscious of her implants and wished the Doctor had found a way to remove them completely. So far, nobody seemed to notice her or her implants, which was fine with her as she entered her designated classroom.

Mezoti found the classroom to be just as chaotic as the hallway. Student streamed into the room, paying her no mind as they swung their backpacks off their shoulders and hung them up in small cubbies in an alcove just to the left of the door. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, bouncing off the white walls. It was significantly more inviting in the classroom than the rest of the school, all thanks to the hard work put forth by the teacher. Posters and diagrams covered the walls, including a timeline of major historical events along the ceiling, a map of the galaxy, a map of the United States and a periodic table. After putting away their backpacks, students automatically took their seats, continuing to laugh and joke. Several of them noticed Mezoti and openly stared at her, wondering who she was, but none of them approached her.

Feeling overwhelmed, Mezoti stood frozen in the doorway. She had no idea what to do or where to go from here. Perhaps she should have agreed to Seven's offer to walk her to class, she'd know what to do now.

"You must be Mezoti," a warm, comforting voice said. Mezoti's head shot up and saw a young woman who couldn't be more than 28 or 29. She had dark skin, several shades darker than Chakotay's, and dark hair pulled back in an elegant hair clip, leaving half of it to tumble past her shoulders. "My name is Ms. Coalburg, welcome." Ms. Coalburg put a comforting hand on Mezoti's shoulder. "Let's get you settled in. Your mother provided me with a very detailed report about you and your academic progress so far. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when I saw the amount of information she gave me, but I'm so excited to have you here." She guided Mezoti over to the collection of cubbies built into a small alcove just to the left of the doorway. By this time, there were only a few stragglers left in the alcove, more focused on getting a glimpse at the new student than putting away their belongings. "Now, this is where you'll put your backpack every day." She motioned to a cubbie with Mezoti's name neatly printed above it. "How about you do that, then I'll show you your desk?" All of this felt very strange to Mezoti, who was used to just showing up where her mother told her for the designated lesson, but she took her supplies out of her backpack and hung it up in her designated cubby. At this point, all the other students had taken their seats and many were staring at Mezoti. Ms. Coalburg gathered up the child's supplies and lead her to the front of the room. "Class, this is Mezoti," she introduced loudly. Now, every single pair of eyes was on her. Many of the students were humans, but not all of them. Mezoti recognized a Vulcan, two Bolians and a Klingon. It was comforting to know that she wasn't the only non-human in the class, but she was the only Norcadian. "She's joining us all the way from the Delta Quadrant." A ripple of excitement traveled through the classroom at the realization. Many leaned forward, longing for more information. Ever since it came out that the crew of _Voyager_ was alive and well in the Delta Quadrant, there had been a new fascination with it and all its mysteries. Now, they had someone who had seen it the Delta Quadrant with her own eyes stood right in front of them. "I know you'll make her feel welcome." Ms. Coalburg turned her attention from her class to Mezoti. "Do you have anything else you want to add?" Her heart fluttered. She hadn't prepared any type of formal statement to deliver. Her eyes grew wide, and she tried to think of something to say, but her mind simply froze, which only made her grow more anxious; it was a vicious cycle that she seemed unable to escape.

Despite the fact that she could tell that her teacher wanted her to say more, the child simply said, "No, Ma'am." All she wanted to do was take a seat. Ms. Coalburg seemed slightly disappointed as she lead Mezoti to a seat in the third row of the classroom, but she wasn't going to force her to do anything she didn't want to.

"How about you take a few minutes to get settled?" she gently suggested as she put Mezoti's supplies on her desk. Grateful not to be stuck in the front of the room anymore, Mezoti complied and began to put all of the supplies replicated by her mother the other night in her designated desk.

At the Academy, Seven stood in the front of the auditorium full of cadets as they streamed into the large room. Behind her stretched a large screen projecting the name of the course so nobody ended up in the wrong place while a holographic emitter built into the floor a meter diagonally to her left projected an image of a Borg cube, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that this was a class about the Borg. The cadets' voices bounced off the high ceiling as they took their seats. Most sat in groups of two or three with their friends, while some sat alone. The first two rows remained more or less empty with only a handful of cadets brave enough to occupy those rows. Instead, they eyed Seven suspiciously as they took their seats. Everyone knew who she was, and while it was a unique experience to have a class like this being offered, many were still dubious about being in the same room as a Borg, albeit a former Borg.

At 1000 hours on the dot, Seven stepped up to the podium situated in the center of the auditorium and folded her arms behind her back. She took a few moments to appraise her class. There were roughly forty cadets, a respectable number, and she had three other classes to teach today as well.

"It is 1000 hours and time for class to commence," she announced into the microphone. Her voice carried over the din of talking, and her authoritative tone instantly put an end to all other noise. The cadets all leaned forward, eager to see what was going to happen next. "My name is Seven of Nine, but you can call me Seven, and I am your instructor. This course will outline the basics of the Borg and their technology. Over the course of the next eight weeks, you will be expected to keep up with course materials and actively participate during every session. By the end of this course, you will have a rudimentary understanding of the Borg and their technology, which is necessary for all Starfleet officers to be successful. Are there any questions?" At least a dozen hands shot up. While Seven had expected some questions, she didn't expect this many right away. She nodded towards an eager looking Bajoran cadet in the seventh row off to the right. "Go ahead."

"How long were you a drone?" he blurted out.

"I was assimilated when I was six, but this class isn't about my experiences in the Collective. Who has a relevant question?" The same dozen or so hands remained in the air, although she doubted all of them were relevant. She nodded towards a human sitting in the eleventh row towards the middle.

"How many times have you encountered the Borg since you left the Collective?" she asked.

"That question is irrelevant," Seven snapped. "If we are to use the time efficiently, we need to start." She pressed a button on the console mounted to her podium, causing the screen behind her to change. The imposing image of a Borg cube dominated the screen, matching the holographic one slowly rotating off to the side. "The Borg first arrived at Earth in the year 2063 in an attempt to prevent first contact with the Vulcans. This was unsuccessful, and Earth was unaware of the threat the Borg posed to the planet. Instead, they focused on understanding the quadrant and the ramifications of first contact." Every single cadet dutifully took notes on their PADDs as Seven continued to lecture. Slowly, her apprehensions melted away as she fell into a comfortable pace and continued to lecture.

At school, Mezoti completed the work assigned to her on her PADD in a matter of minutes as sat back at her desk. She'd covered this material shortly after she arrived on _Voyager_ , making this all an unnecessary review. She put down the PADD and looked around the room. The diagram of the galaxy drew her attention. Since she was done, she figured it would be alright to get up and take a closer look. As she slid out of her seat, several students around her stopped working and stared at her. Ignoring them, she walked over to the diagram and tilted her head to the side. The diagram was inaccurate, especially the Delta Quadrant. It wasn't Ms. Coalburg's fault, this was clearly a faulty diagram provided by the school. Starfleet was still trying to update their databases with the information from _Voyager_ 's expedition, and it would undoubtedly take longer for diagrams like these in schools to be updated. Despite its flaws, there was a certain comfort in seeing the Delta Quadrant, her former home.

At this point, nearly half the class was openly staring at Mezoti as she examined the diagram. They'd all been given directions to complete the math problems on their PADDS independently while Ms. Coalburg circulated and helped students. She was currently crouched down next to a student, walking him step by step through the process when she realized that a low murmur was starting to ripple across the classroom. She stopped what she was doing and looked around the room.

"Mezoti, you're supposed to be working," she scolded as she got to her feet and crossed the room to talk to Mezoti privately.

"I finished," Mezoti stated innocently as she turned around to face her teacher. Ms. Coalburg looked unconvinced. They had only been working on the math problems for seven minutes, there was no way she could have finished all of them.

"Did you check to make sure they were correct?" she asked as she picked the PADD up off Mezoti's desk to examine her work.

"I don't need to check them, I know they're correct. My mama taught me how to do this a year and a half ago." The class began to murmur with excitement and shock. Never before had they heard someone talk back to the teacher like that. They were expected to do their work without protest and follow directions. With her lips pursed with frustration, Ms. Coalburg looked over all of Mezoti's answers. Sure enough, they were all correct.

"Good job. I'm fine with you looking around the room and even getting a book to read when you're done working." She motioned towards several low bookshelves wedged in the corner among a collection of pillows that littered the floor. "But you need to ask permission before you get out of your seat. Okay?" Mezoti's gaze dropped to her feet as she shifted uncomfortably; she was used to doing what she wanted when she was done with her academics without having to ask for permission. She'd been trying so hard to make a good first impression, and she'd already ruined it.

"Okay." With a smile, Ms. Coalburg nodded towards the diagram of the galaxy, indicating that Mezoti was free to return to what she had been doing before. While she still felt guilty for breaking the rules, Mezoti was relieved that she hadn't gotten in too much trouble.

At lunch, Mezoti clutched her tray tightly in her hands and scanned the cafeteria for a place to sit. Just like when she entered the classroom for the first time that morning, she stood frozen along the wall, desperately searching for an empty seat. Long tables full of students talking and laughing filled the large room, and sounds of cheerfulness and friendship floated around her. All the talking almost sounded like the hive mind, which unsettled her as she wandered around and looked for somewhere to sit. Strange faces stared at her as she passed, and she even heard the word "Borg" come up several times, whispered behind hands and murmured under peoples' breath. In the corner, she finally found a half empty table. When she stopped there, the hostile stares of the inhabitants told her that she wasn't welcome to join them. Since she had nowhere else to sit, however, this was the best she could do; she would simply have to ignore them and hope they didn't give her any trouble. She sat on the far end of the table, half sitting on the hard, unforgiving bench and half dangling off the edge uncomfortably. A tear or two threatened to spring up in her eyes as she looked across the cafeteria and saw that everyone but her had someone to sit with, but she blinked them away. It was only her first day here, it would get better.

Not feeling particularly hungry, Mezoti poked at the food on the tray in front of her. The food looked like hardly palatable mush, not like the carefully planned and replicated meals her mother usually provided her. When she took a small bite of what she assumed was chicken, she made a face. This food was clearly mass-replicated; it tasted dry and flavorless, nothing like she was used to eating. While Seven may not be a gourmet chef, at least the food she prepared tasted like food. This, however, tasted terrible. As it was all she had to eat, she couldn't just recycle the food and go without eating; she wouldn't be able to eat again until her mom got home from the Academy that evening. Mezoti sucked it up and took another bite. It wasn't as bad as the first bite, but it was still unappetizing.

So far, school felt like an utter disappointment to Mezoti. She was significantly further ahead of most of her classmates, she couldn't make any friends, and the food was disgusting. When she was homeschooled, she didn't have any of those problems. Seven ensured her academic needs were met, they kept each other company, and the food wasn't this awful tasting. Mezoti knew that she couldn't stay home all day while Seven and Chakotay went to work, but she didn't know why she had to come here of all places. There had to be a better place for her to go. Just about anywhere else in the galaxy would be better than this. Mezoti rubbed her eye, forcing the tears back once again. All she wanted to do was go home.

During a break between her classes, Seven retreated to the privacy of her office to reexamine her lessons and ensure they were adequately prepared for her remaining classes for the day. She felt surprisingly drained, which she didn't expect. She thought this would be an easy job, all she had to do was stand in front of a room full of cadets and talk; it was hardly a difficult job. After two classes, however, she was tired, both emotionally and physically, and she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the privacy of her small office tucked away at the far end of the hall and take a few minutes to regroup before repeating the process all over again. No sooner did she sit down did her door chime, indicating someone was there. So much for a short break.

"Come in." The door opened, and Admiral Paris walked in as if he owned the place. Caught off guard by the surprise guest, it took Seven a few seconds longer than usual to get to her feet.

"Admiral," she greeted formally as she folded her arms behind her back and held her head high. She could see the apprehension in the man's eyes as the door closed behind him. She wasn't surprised to see his unease, he never seemed fully comfortable around her. "I must apologize, I did not expect you."

"I should have contacted you ahead of time to make sure you weren't busy. My apologies."

"There is no need to apologize. Please, have a seat." She motioned towards one of the available chairs on the other side of her desk. Admiral Paris sat on the edge of the seat as if he needed to be ready at a moment's notice to be on his feet and out the door in case she tried to assimilate him.

Once Admiral Paris took a seat, Seven returned to her seat behind her desk. Normally she was used to uncomfortable interactions with humans who were skeptical about her, but there was something about this encounter that made her feel particularly uneasy. She had heard plenty of stories from Tom Paris about his father, and while she knew he had a particular bias, the stories still came to mind whenever she saw the Admiral.

Never one to beat around the bush, the Admiral jumped right into why he was there and said, "I know you're busy and hate to interrupt your break, but this is very important. I am here to recruit you for Project Pathfinder." Confusion flashed across her face. The public had been told that Project Pathfinder had been disabled shortly after _Voyager_ 's return to the Delta Quadrant; there was no need for Pathfinder to continue anyway, the entire purpose was to get _Voyager_ home, which had happened nearly a year ago, rendering the endeavor useless.

"I was under the impression that the Pathfinder Project was discontinued upon _Voyager_ 's return. Explain," she stated bluntly. Unaccustomed to being talked to in such a manner, the Admiral's finger twitched with frustration, but he ignored it. He'd had a handful of encounters with Seven, and all of them were equally terse. Admiral Janeway assured him that she would soften up once she came around and got to know him better, but he had his doubts, some people never changed, no matter how hard they tried.

"While Project Pathfinder's primary focus was getting _Voyager_ back to the Alpha Quadrant, there was a secondary purpose as well: transwarp technology." His eyes sparkled at the notion of Starfleet finally achieving transwarp technology, it's Holy Grail of sorts, the one thing they needed more than anything else to continue to thrive.

"Transwarp technology?" Seven repeated in a less impressed tone as she raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Admiral Janeway tried several times to implement transwarp technology and was always unsuccessful."

"That's because she didn't have the technology available here on Earth. With our resources and your expertise on Borg technology, I know that this is something we can achieve." Seven pursed her lips and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had countless reservations about this, and she struggled to think of where to start.

"Why does Starfleet want to return to the Delta Quadrant? There is much exploration still to be done right here in the Alpha Quadrant. It would be an inefficient use of resources to attempt to explore two quadrants at once."

"If the Federation is to expand into the Delta Quadrant, we have to do so quickly while its inhabitants still remember all the positive contributions of _Voyager_ , and they're more likely to join. Think of a Federation that includes Talaxians, Enarans, the Nezu, Sikarians and so many other species. _Voyager_ made a mark on the Delta Quadrant, and the Federation wants to capitalize on it." Seven shook her head. Yes, Admiral Paris had a logical argument, but it was also incredibly flawed. He was only seeing the positives here; she'd spent two decades in the Delta Quadrant and knew the negatives of the Delta Quadrant more than anyone else on this planet.

"For each friendly species you name, I can name three or four others in the Delta Quadrant who are openly hostile. Are you fully prepared to face the Vidiians, the Hirogen, the Devore, the Voth? You also seem to have forgotten that the Borg control large portions of the Delta Quadrants, hundreds of systems, thousands of planets. The Federation may be ready for the Delta Quadrant, but is the Delta Quadrant ready for the Federation?" Admiral Paris leaned forward. He was accustomed to giving orders and people following them, but here was this young woman, not even half his age, arguing with him over a decision that was established months ago. Nothing she said could make him cancel Pathfinder, too much time and resources had already been pumped into it, and ending it would undoubtedly ruin his Starfleet career.

"The Alpha Quadrant wasn't ready for the Federation until it was formed and everyone realized that it was necessary. We've already achieved relative peace across this quadrant, and now I'm asking you to help us reach that goal."

"I have many hesitations," Seven confessed. "And you've forgotten that my job is here, at the Academy. It is impossible for me to carry out my duties here and work on Pathfinder." Admiral Paris was already prepared for this argument. He knew this was Seven's job now, and he wasn't about to take her away from it, especially on the first day of her classes.

"You would be a part time consultant. You would work late one evening a week on Pathfinder." Working late one evening a week was reasonable enough. If Seven just had to think about herself, then she would accept, even with her hesitations, but it wasn't just herself that she had to think about. Working late one evening a week would mean Chakotay and Mezoti would be left to their own devices for that evening. She wasn't sure how he would react to that, as it would be a massive disruption to their newly established routine.

"I would need to talk to Chakotay," she finally said slowly with the hopes that this could buy her some time to think about if she really wanted to do this, as she still felt reluctant. There were extreme consequences to returning to the Delta Quadrant, consequences she wasn't sure Admiral Paris had fully considered. "This is something that doesn't affect just me."

"Understandable, but this is a time sensitive issue. I would need to know by the day after tomorrow." Admiral Paris got to his feet and walked towards the door. He stopped in the doorway and turned around. "If it makes your decision any easier, Lieutenant Kim, Tom and B'Elanna have both joined Pathfinder, and B'Elanna is the one who told me that we need you on this project." Seven found that hard to believe. Yes, her relationship with B'Elanna had gotten better, especially now that they weren't forced to work together on a regular basis, but she still didn't think she would speak so highly of her. If this were true, then perhaps she should accept the gracious offer, despite her extreme reservations.

By the end of the school day, Mezoti couldn't wait to go home and forget today ever happened. Full of menial lessons being pandered to the lowest students, the afternoon had dragged on just like the morning did. She completed her work in record time and sat around reading a book while she waited for the rest of the class to catch up. Finally, the bell rang. Immediately every single student jumped to their feet and scrambled to their cubbies to grab their backpacks and fly out the door with their bags flapping half open. None of them seemed to care; they were more focused on going home. As excited as she was to go home, Mezoti slowly and methodically gathered together her belongings so she didn't risk leaving anything behind before crossing the room to the cubbies.

"Mezoti," Ms. Coalburg called as she fell into step next to the child. "How do you think your first day went?"

"How I think it went is irrelevant, it happened, and it's over with," Mezoti replied indifferently. Ms. Coalburg sighed. The information she got about Mezoti told her that she could sometimes be very analytical, it was often a result of her time in the Collective, but she still hoped that she could get her to open up to her.

"Did you enjoy your first day? I know it can be very frightening, and you've had to undergo a lot of changes the past few months. One of my jobs as teacher is to make sure all of my students are comfortable and enjoying themselves at school. Is there anything I can do to help you adjust?"

"I am capable of adjusting on my own." Mezoti stuffed her belongings in her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. "I have to go. I don't want to be late." Ms. Coalburg felt lost and confused as she watched the child leave the room. Normally, she was able to read a child and determine how their first day went just by looking at him or her. This girl, however, was an utter mystery. She would have to keep a closer eye on her to see how she was adjusting, as she wasn't going to get the information using more conventional methods.

Finally free from the confines of the school, Mezoti emerged in front of the building and scanned the grounds for Chakotay. There seemed to be dozens of shuttles all grouped together while parents stood patiently in small groups along the grounds socializing and waiting for their children to show up. There were so many people all over the place, making it difficult to find anyone. Children shoved past her, eager to go home and play. Mezoti stumbled along with the crowd, searching for Chakotay. When she couldn't find him, she started to grow a little nervous. It was the first time he had to pick her up, maybe he forgot. It was a sobering thought. She didn't know how to contact him if she needed to. Of all the things she prepared for, she never thought about what would happen if he didn't come to get her.

Even though she'd only been outside for a few minutes, it felt like a lifetime to Mezoti as she looked for Chakotay. Finally, she found him, just a few meters away from her, smiling at her as he waited patiently for her to join him. Relief washed over her as she approached him.

"How was school?" he asked as he took her backpack in one hand and put his other hand on her shoulder.

"It was adequate," she replied with a shrug.

"Just adequate?" he pressed as he guided her towards his shuttle. "Did you learn anything new?"

"That the map of the galaxy in my classroom is out of date." He chuckled; she was so much like her mother.

"How about anything academic? You spent all day in school, surely you learned something new." They climbed into the shuttle and both buckled up. Mezoti carefully thought about it. Had she learned anything new?

"We learned about Dr. Zefram Cochrane and the invention of the warp drive. We also read a book called _A Wrinkle in Time_. Have you heard of it?" Chakotay stopped to think before finally starting up the shuttle and taking off. Children's literature wasn't his area of expertise, but the book sounded familiar.

"It sounds familiar." The zipped through the air, heading back to their house. "It sounds like you had a good day today." Mezoti shrugged. She wasn't sure if she'd go that far. Rather than tell Chakotay about all the problems she'd had trying to adjust, she kept her mouth shut. It would be better to let him think that she had a good day than worry him over nothing. It was far more difficult for her to adapt than she thought it would be.

As soon as she walked in the door, Seven smelled dinner cooking. She put her bag down next to the front door and walked down the hall. Chakotay stood in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner. The table was already set, and Mezoti was curled up on the couch reading her book for school. Figuring she was busy with her homework, Seven decided against interrupting her and instead headed to the kitchen.

"Hello beautiful," Chakotay greeted as he put a bowl of salad on the table amongst the place settings. Now that his hands were free, he could slide an arm around her waist and kiss her softly. "How was your first day?"

"It was satisfactory." He raised an eyebrow.

"Just satisfactory?" Seven glanced over her shoulder towards Mezoti, indicating that this wasn't a conversation she wanted her to overhear. Chakotay immediately understood and instead called, "Okay, Mezoti, time for dinner." Mezoti noted what page she was on and put the book to the side.

"Hi Mama," she chirped as she threw her arms around Seven's waist and looked up at her. "How was the Academy?"

"The Academy was fine. How was school?" Mezoti pulled away and took a seat at the table. Seven and Chakotay followed her lead, sitting in what was starting to become their normal seats.

"School was adequate," she replied, giving the same exact answer she gave Chakotay on her way back to the house, which didn't go unnoticed by him. He kept his mouth shut and instead began to serve himself.

"Explain."

"There's nothing to explain," Mezoti said with a shrug as she shoveled a bite of salad into her mouth with the hopes that the food would give her a break from having to explain herself further. It had only been her first day of school, she was convinced that it would get better in the days to come, or at least that's what she hoped.

That night, Seven and Chakotay went about their evening routine as they prepared for bed. Mezoti was safe in her alcove for the night, giving them freedom to talk openly about their day without little ears overhearing.

"So how was your day really?" Chakotay called as he tossed his dirty clothes in the designated hamper in the closet.

"My students are more interested in my life than what I have to teach," Seven complained as she stepped out of her bodysuit. The cool air being circulated through the air conditioning vents tickled her exposed flesh as she crossed the room to put her bodysuit in the hamper as well.

"You're the first Borg these cadets have ever met. They're fascinated by you and your story. You can't blame them for being interested in who you are and what's happened to you." Clad only in her bra and underwear, she walked into the bathroom with a fiery look in her eyes.

"I am _not_ an animal at the zoo to be gawked at by Starfleet cadets," she snapped, her voice loud and imposing.

"I'm not saying that," Chakotay said as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and walked out of the closet. "I'm just saying that maybe you could dedicate a few minutes at the end of every class to answer their questions."

"That is an inefficient use of time. We are only allocated a certain amount of time per day, and we have a lot of information to cover. To sacrifice that time to answer frivolous questions would be a waste of time." She turned her attention to her reflection in the mirror, unpinning her hair and running a brush through it.

"But if they're going to ask the questions anyway, it's already time you're going to lose. If they know you're going to take a few minutes at the end of each class, you'll be able to get through your lecture without as many interruptions." He ran his fingertips along her spine to the hem of her underwear, which he mindlessly traced along the swell of her hips that jutted out sharply. "Would you rather sacrifice a few minutes at the end of each class or a lot more time throughout the class?" She stopped brushing her hair, holding the hairbrush mid-stroke, as she thought about what he said.

"I will consider your suggestion." When he looked in her eyes in the reflection of the mirror, he could still see conflict, something bothering her. He continued to run his fingers lightly over her exposed flesh, causing goosebumps to ripple along her pale skin.

"What else is bothering you, sweetheart?" he asked softly. She put down the hairbrush and turned around.

"Admiral Paris came to speak to me." Suddenly it all made sense to him. He knew the Admiral would be coming to talk to her, but he had been sworn to secrecy since she technically wasn't a Starfleet Officer. Plus, for the time being, Pathfinder was on a need to know basis.

"About Pathfinder."

"You knew?" Seven demanded indignantly. "Were you planning on informing me?"

"I couldn't. There are classified aspects of my career, Seven. They're very few, but Pathfinder is one of them. Can you imagine what would happen if the Cardassians or the Romulans get their hands on such technology? It would shift the balance of power in the quadrant." His voice raised slightly in frustration. His old Maquis ways made it impossible for him to trust the Cardassians, so the thought of them getting their hands on such crucial technology made him feel sick to his stomach. "What did Admiral Paris want?"

"He wants me to join Pathfinder as a consultant, which would require working late once a week. I told him that I would have to discuss it with you. I'm hesitant, as it would disrupt our routine." It didn't seem like a big deal to him. It wasn't like she would be working late every day, which would definitely disrupt their routine, but once a week was hardly worth noting.

"It's just once a week. Mezoti and I will be fine. I think you should go for it, it's an extremely prestigious project to work on, and they need you. You're the only one in the Federation who has a detailed understanding of transwarp technology." He took a hold of both her hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze as she leaned back against the bathroom counter.

"So you believe it's a good idea to attempt to return to the Delta Quadrant?"

"I think the Admiral's logic is reasonable." Seven didn't look convinced. "We're bound to get to the Delta Quadrant sooner or later, and I think it makes sense to go now while people there still remember us, and our friendships are still somewhat viable, but they need your help. I've spoken to B'Elanna, and they're struggling. They need you."

"I will consider the offer." Knowing that that was probably the best he was going to get, he kissed the top of her head softly before heading to the bedroom and crawling into bed. He couldn't force her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with doing, but he sincerely hoped that she would take up the Admiral on his offer, Starfleet needed her.

As he waited for Seven to join him, Chakotay stared at the shadows and light that played across the ceiling. He flung one arm above his head and thought about her day, especially her students' inherent curiosity about her. Without a doubt, she was one of the bravest women he knew. Everyone who looked at her instantly knew who she was and her past. There was no way to blame her for her past, nobody ever asked to be assimilated, but that never stopped people from passing judgement on her. It was only natural to be curious, but he hated when people stared at her and whispered behind her back. He knew she heard them, but she never made any comment on it until today. He could only imagine how difficult it must be for her to have to confront her past in front of dozens of strangers on a daily basis. If anyone could handle it, though, it was her.

Finished in the bathroom, Seven shut off the light and entered the bedroom. It was slightly warmer than last night, so she just pulled on the shirt tucked her pillow and crawled into bed. She instinctively curled up against Chakotay with her head on his chest. His arm came down to wrap around her, stroking her arm with his thumb in the process. Her arm draped across his waist, and their legs tangled together. The gentle thumping of his heart comforted her as she thought about their conversation. There was a lot for her to think about, making it difficult for her to relax and fall asleep. She had worked so hard to put her time in the Collective behind her, and she knew she would have to confront her past, but she never thought she would have to answer so many questions about her personal life. Curiosity was a natural human response, especially for Starfleet cadets who were taught to inquire about everything around them. Therefore, it would be foolish for her to expect them to accept her as their instructor without asking so many questions. She might have to adapt and be more willing to answer their questions, whether she wanted to or not.

In addition to her problem with her students, Seven also had to think about Admiral Paris' request. Helping the Federation get back to the Delta Quadrant would undoubtedly open them up to new enemies, including countless species _Voyager_ hadn't encountered during its seven years stranded there. In a sense, it would be putting the entire Federation in danger, which was highly reckless. On the other hand, it was inevitable to expand into the Delta Quadrant, and they might as well make use of the bonds forged over the years to help the Federation. There was also her unique expertise. Without her, all those working on Pathfinder may be in danger by using faulty technology and unsound techniques. In a way, she was necessary on Pathfinder, whether she wanted to be or not. For that reason alone, she knew what her choice had to be.

 **Author's Note:** Wow, this chapter is a beast! I'm sorry it's so long, I just couldn't find somewhere to cut it off. I hope you enjoyed it. Make sure to leave a review and check out my other fic: Coming Clean. It's another Chakotay/Seven story.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Strangely enough, Seven felt more apprehensive about class today than she did yesterday. Unlike yesterday, when she feared the unknown, today she feared the known: the never ending questions that came from her cadets. Her first two classes had been successful but draining, both emotionally and physically. She still had two more classes to get through today, which meant two more rounds of questions from her students. Just like yesterday, she stood in the front of the auditorium with her arms folded behind her back while her students entered. They were the same boisterous, excited group as yesterday. Many sat in the same seats as yesterday and got out their PADDs to take notes during class. In order to occupy herself, Seven looked over her notes for the day. Today, she planned on continuing her background information on the Borg. Without knowing the basics, there was no way her students could properly appreciate the finer details of the Collective.

At exactly 1000 hours, Seven flipped on the microphone attached to the podium and tapped it several times to get everyone's attention. It took several moments, but eventually the echoing voices died away and silence blanketed the room as the cadets waited for her to start.

"Welcome to your second day of class. I am relieved to see that yesterday did not scare any of you away." Seven's serious demeanor made it difficult for her students to understand that she was making a joke. Several cracked small smiles, but most waited anxiously for her to start her lecture. "Yesterday, I realized that there are many questions about my personal life, which interrupt my ability to properly teach. In order to make our time together more efficient, I have decided to answer two questions about my experiences with the Borg at the end of each class, provided we get through the material in a timely fashion. I will not answer personal questions otherwise, and I reserve the right to refuse to answer any question I deem irrelevant. Is that understood?" A murmur rippled across the auditorium as several students nodded their heads in agreement, which Seven took to mean that all students understood and agreed to her proposition. "Today we are going to be discussing the Borg Queen." The screen behind Seven changed, revealing an image of the infamous Borg Queen, courtesy of _Voyager_ 's database. The holo emitter in front of her projected a three dimensional image that rotated slowly, giving all the students a complete view of the Borg Queen. Many students shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they were forced to confront one of the Federation's worst enemies. "Upon _Voyager_ 's return from the Delta Quadrant, the Borg Queen was killed." Several hands shot up, but Seven already anticipated their questions and continued undeterred. "It is unknown if there is a new queen. The Collective can survive for any amount of time without her, although she does provide order to the chaos that is the hive mind." Many but not all of the hands went down, prompting her to continue. She had no doubt that she would be able to anticipate and answer all their questions without wasting time calling on them, which is why she ignored them, at least for the time being. She also knew that every question she answered, several other questions would pop up; it was an endless cycle that she had to nip in the bud by ignoring most questions.

As she lectured, Seven kept an eye on the time flashing in the corner of the computer console built into her podium. Her students kept up their end of the bargain and let her lecture without asking unnecessary questions (but they still asked many questions that could be considered necessary), so she knew she had to keep up her end of the bargain and answer two questions about her personal life. She blanked the screen behind her and turned off the holo emitter in front of her, indicating to her students that she was done for the day. Several forgot Seven's promise to answer two questions and began to pack up until their peers quietly reminded them, and they waited anxiously with everyone else.

"As promised, I will now answer two questions," Seven announced as she came out from around the podium and stood in front of it with her arms folded behind her and her head held high. As expected, about a dozen hands shot up in the air. Seven scrutinized each hand as if she could tell the question behind each hand just by looking at it. Unfortunately, there was no way to be sure what questions would be asked, so she would have to make a guess and hope for the best. "Go ahead." She nodded towards a young Bolian woman towards the back of the large room.

"What was the hardest adjustment to Earth?" It was a reasonable enough question, although Seven wasn't entirely sure what the answer was. There had been so many difficult adjustments to make when she got back to Earth, and all of them seemed equally challenging. On the other hand, she had had the opportunity to begin her adjustment aboard _Voyager_ , which made it easier to adjust when they got back to the Alpha Quadrant.

"Not being on _Voyager_ ," she finally replied. "I had become accustomed to seeing the same faces on a daily basis, but now they were scattered all across the quadrant. It was surprisingly difficult." There was a pang of almost homesickness that formed in the pit of Seven's stomach that caught her off guard. She hadn't realized just how much she realized so many of the crew on _Voyager_ , such as Naomi, Tuvok and Neelix. Her only consolation was that she had Chakotay and Mezoti to go home to every night.

More hands shut up as Seven carefully thought about who would ask the second question. She also made sure to make note of who she called on so everyone who had a question had the opportunity to ask her questions. She nodded towards a Vulcan male sitting in the fifth row, indicating he was free to ask his question, which she had a feeling would be far deeper and more insightful than the previous question, not that it was a bad question.

"Do you believe being assimilated at such a young age had a lasting psychological impact on you?" he asked. Caught off guard, Seven took a step back. The question started her mind racing at warp speed. Her own psychological problems stemming from her early assimilation were the least of her concerns. Mezoti had been around the same age when the Borg assimilated her, therefore, if Seven had any psychological problems, then she might as well. The thought of something being wrong with her daughter caused a nauseating pit to form in her stomach. She'd spent the past several years looking over Mezoti's welfare, but there could be problems yet to come that she and Chakotay hadn't even anticipated. What if there was something wrong with Mezoti? How would they react? Would Chakotay be willing to stick around through such difficult times? It was hard to tell.

"I don't feel that that questions is relevant," Seven snapped as she came back to her senses. Her eyes whipped around the room uncomfortably, trying to see if her students could sense her discomfort. "Class dismissed." The finality in her tone spoke volumes, telling the cadets not to question her and her refusal to answer the question. They began packing up their belongings so they could head off to their next class.

While the rest of the cadets left the auditorium, the Vulcan who asked the final question stayed behind. At first, Seven was so wrapped up packing up her belongings so she could head back to her office for a break between classes that she didn't notice him. It was only when she looked did she see him, sitting in his same seat as if class hadn't been dismissed.

"Is something wrong?" Seven inquired with her implant encrusted eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Professor, I hope you did not think my questions was disrespectful," he replied as he got to his feet and approached her. "As that was not my intent. I am simply interested in the psychological impact of being part of the Collective."

"The psychological impact is very severe," Seven replied sharply. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for my next class." It was a lie, but she didn't feel terrible about it. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about, especially since it meant that there could be some sort of lasting impact on Mezoti. Seven grabbed her bag and left the room without another word of explanation. She still reserved the right to refuse questions, and this was one she didn't want to think about.

Seven's office was at the end of a long, winding hallway, tucked away from everyone else. It was so secluded that people didn't accidentally stumble upon it, they had to go out of their way to find it. Some might be insulted with such a secluded hallway, but she didn't mind; in fact, she preferred it that way. The isolated office gave her the peace and quiet to complete her job without any interruptions, which couldn't be said for her office home, since Mezoti was always wandering in and out to do something with her mother. As she walked down the hall, Seven passed several half open doors, revealing professors who were also enjoying some down time in their offices. Some graded assignments, some drank coffee and some met with students. Seven kept her eyes locked dead ahead as she walked to her office at the very end to her office.

Just like Chakotay's office at Headquarters, Seven's office was small, barely big enough for her desk and two chairs crammed inside. Unlike his officer, however, hers was spartan with no personalization of any kind. The desk contained a handful of PADDs, but that was it. There were no photos of her family, no artistic prints adorning the walls, no small trinkets from her travels across the Delta Quadrant. Anyone passing by might wrongfully assume that the office was unoccupied, which didn't bother her in the slightest. She didn't understand the need to decorate the workspace, as it was meant to be a place to work, a place for her to focus on her career. In her mind, personalization was a distraction from efficiency and was something that should be reserved for private quarters, not a place she needed to focus on important matters such as her office.

No sooner had Seven settled behind her desk to review the material she'd prepared for tomorrow's class and make a few last minute changes to her next class did someone knock on her office door. Confused, she put her PADD to the side. So far, no student had visited her in her office. She hoped it wasn't that Vulcan attempting to apologize again, she'd rather forget about that conversation.

"Enter," she called in a slightly annoyed tone. She only had so much time off, and she wanted to make the most of it. The door opened, revealing Icheb. As soon as Seven saw him, she didn't mind the interruption. She got to her feet and walked around her desk.

"Icheb, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Is everything alright? Are you damaged?" As she spoke, she sized him up, looking for any hint that something was wrong with him. He appeared to be fine, but she couldn't be certain.

"I'm fine," Icheb assured in his typical calm voice. "I wanted to see how your first day of teaching went." Seven's gaze softened. She should have expected him to go out of his way to check on her like this.

"Today is my second day," She pointed out bluntly as she motioned for him to have a seat as she returned to her seat behind her desk. Now that she had someone in her office, she realized that it was inadequate for visitors, not that she expected many of them.

"I'm aware, but I thought you would be busy yesterday and wouldn't want to be disturbed."

"I appreciate your concern." Social convention told Seven that she should offer Icheb a beverage or something, but there was no replicator or anything anywhere near her office. She knew he wouldn't mind, but she still felt bad about her inability to properly entertain him. "How is the Academy?"

"I could ask you the same question," Icheb replied, artfully dodging the question. "How did it go yesterday?"

"My students seem to be more interested in learning about me than learning about the Collective." Seven sounded annoyed, something he immediately picked up on. With the exception of Chakotay, he probably knew her better than anyone else. Although their experiences within the Collective had been vastly different, the fact that they had both been assimilated and the role of their parents in their assimilation united them together in a way that even Chakotay couldn't understand.

"I have encountered similar problems," Icheb confessed. "Cadets go out of their way to see me. They don't even try to talk to me, they just stare from a distance. I'd much rather they approach me and ask me their questions than stare at me as if I am some creature on display." Seven was about to comment that it was far worse to be asked uncomfortable questions than openly gawked at, but she decided against it. In all honesty, she wasn't sure what was worse. When she first got to _Voyager_ , most of the crew avoided her but still openly stared at her, similar to what Icheb was experiencing now. She knew how uncomfortable it could be.

"I am sure that once Cadets grow accustomed to your presence here, the staring will stop," she assured. It eventually happened on _Voyager_ , although that was a closed group of people who eventually grew used to seeing her around and her role aboard the starship, and it did take some time.

Inquiring after Seven's first day of teaching at the Academy wasn't the only reason Icheb stopped by her office. After spending nearly every day together, it had been a difficult adjustment to life planetside, and his studies at the Academy meant he couldn't always check on her to see how she was doing, along with Mezoti. He cared deeply about both of them, and while he trusted Chakotay to keep on eye on them, he also wanted to check on them himself.

"How is Mezoti?" he asked, finally getting to the other reason he stopped by. "Is she adjusting to your new living arrangements?" He tried to find a way to tactfully bring up the subject without seeming too invasive; he knew Seven was a very private person, even around him sometimes.

"Mezoti appears to be adjusting adequately," Seven replied. "She spoke positively about her first day of school yesterday."

"Are you sure this is what is best for Mezoti?" The question came out of nowhere and instantly rubbed her the wrong way. She should have expected as much from Icheb, he was never one to beat around the bush. If anyone was going to stand up to her and tell her how they felt, it was going to be him. Seven raised her implant encrusted eyebrow.

"Explain."

"We've only been back for a few months, and it's difficult to adjust to life on a planet you've never been to, which is only added to by the fact that you've moved in with the Captain and enrolled her in public school. It's a lot for a child to handle." Seven's gaze hardened at the notion that she wasn't doing what was best for Mezoti. Every single decision she'd made, from what apartment to move into when they first got here, to if moving in with Chakotay was the best decision for both of them. She'd weighed every possibility before making a decision, to the point that she was pretty sure Chakotay thought she'd say no to the suggestion. She had to be sure she was doing the right thing, not for her, but for Mezoti.

"Mezoti has her own bedroom, space to play and the ability to socialize with other children her own age at school. Not doing this would be going against what is best for her. It is important that she has as many experiences as possible as she adjusts to life on Earth." Icheb didn't look entirely convinced, but Seven didn't care. After looking after Mezoti for the past two years, she was confident that she knew what was in her best interest. Besides, she was entitled to some happiness as well. Living with Chakotay provided them both with far more opportunities than in their previous living situation. If anything, it has given Mezoti stability, someone else to look after her and help her grow and far more opportunities than Seven could have given her on her own. The very notion that she wasn't doing what was best for Mezoti infuriated her and insulted her as a mother. What stung the most was that it came from someone she regarded as a close friend.

Sensing he had worn out his welcome, Icheb got to his feet and said, "I have to go, I have to study before my next class." As thrilled as she'd been to see Icheb, she was somewhat glad to see him go. This conversation hadn't been what she expected when he showed up in her doorway, and it left her feeling even more drained that she already felt after teaching for most of the day.

"I understand." Seven had a few minor alterations she wanted to make to her lesson before she taught it again for her next class. Perfection wasn't as easily attained in the classroom as she thought.

After Icheb left, Seven found herself unable to concentrate on her lesson. All she could think about was the young Vulcan cadet in her class and her conversation with Icheb. Both conversations swirled around her mind, leaving her feeling utterly conflicted. Had she done the right thing moving in with Chakotay? It had only been a few days, so it was difficult to tell the lasting effects, but Mezoti did seem to be adjusting well enough. On the other hand, Seven couldn't help but think that she had been acting recklessly, thinking only about her own happiness and satisfaction, not about her daughter's as well. The arguments she'd given Icheb could be little more than her justification for her actions. If her student was right, and there were lasting psychological implications from the Collective. Her only consolation was that Mezoti's interactions with the Collective had been relatively limited, meaning there was only a slim chance of any lasting damage. Her experience had been vastly different from Mezoti's, for which she was incredibly grateful.

Children ran and screamed with glee as they blew off all their pent up energy from sitting in a classroom all morning. They swung from the playground and chased each other across the field behind the school while several adults pretended to look on but actually socialized and gossiped. Trees lined the edge of the playground, which is where Mezoti took her refuge. She crouched under one of the trees and carefully examined the bugs that crawled across the dirt, completely oblivious to the giant world around them and the little girl who watched them go about their lives. Mezoti stretched out her hand, prompting a small ant to crawl across it. Fascinated, she analyzed the insect. While it was nothing more than a garden variety ant, she still watched as it crept across her pale arm.

"What a freak." Not realizing that she wasn't alone, Mezoti's head shot up. A girl she recognized from her class stood a few feet away from her with her arms crossed over her chest while she glanced at her friend who stood directly behind her shoulder. For a moment, it reminded her of how she saw the Admiral and Chakotay stand together on _Voyager_ , always right next to each other, as if attracted by some sort of invisible force. Mezoti was pretty sure the girl's name was Naya, and her friend's name was Priya, but she couldn't be certain, she'd only heard them mentioned in passing. As much as her mother asserted the importance of making friends here, she tried to keep to herself as much as possible.

"She's probably practicing to form her own Collective," Priya sneered. Mezoti kept a cool demeanor, but on the inside, she felt her heart breaking. She'd only been here a day and a half, and she hadn't even said a word to either of these girls; she didn't even know their names for sure. While Naya was undeniably human, the ridges along Priya's nose indicated that she was Bajoran, although they were faint, hinting at a mixed race. Mezoti had always been under the impression that Bajorans were relatively peaceful and kind hearted, but apparently that wasn't the case.

"I would stay away," Naya whispered loud enough for Mezoti to hear, which she got the feeling was intentional. "You wouldn't want to be assimilated." Both girls turned on their heels and stalked off as they continued to talk, presumably about Mezoti.

Forgetting about the ant, Mezoti sat back and wiped away a few stray tears that trickled down her cheeks. She couldn't figure out what she had done to those girls to cause them to treat her so poorly. Usually she knew why people were annoyed with her. She understood why Icheb got frustrated with her sometimes: she asked a lot of questions and liked to see what he was learning at the Academy. She also understood why her mother got frustrated with her: she was chaotic and had a habit of not exactly following the rules. Even when they were annoyed with her, however, they never treated her that poorly. She felt she hadn't done anything to warrant such treatment, especially from two girls she barely even knew. She had just been minding her own business and looking at some bugs. There was no reason for them to treat her like that, they hadn't even taken the time to get to know her.

Mezoti was so wrapped up in trying to figure out what had caused those girls to be so cruel to her that she didn't hear the bell ring, indicating it was time to go inside and return to class. All of a sudden, children darted right past her, heading back to their designated classes for the rest of the day. Realizing that she had to get going, she scrambled to her feet and brushed off the dirt; her Mama wouldn't like it if she came home all dirty from playing with bugs. Caught up in trying to catch up with everyone else, Mezoti inadvertently ran right into someone, causing the figure to stumble forward.

"Hey, watch it!" the girl announced as she spun around to face Mezoti.

"Oh, sorry," Mezoti muttered. Her heart sank when she saw that it was Naya. As soon as she saw Mezoti, the girl's gaze hardened with undeniable hatred and loathing.

"For a Borg, you're awfully clumsy," she pointed out. "Maybe that's why they let you go. You're so weird, even the Borg don't want to assimilate you." The harsh words stung. Mezoti shoved past her as she cackled to Priya and bolted inside at top speed. At least inside, she could sit quietly at her seat and do her work while nobody bothered her. At least inside she was safe.

Ms. Coalburg watched as Mezoti zipped into the classroom and threw herself down at her seat. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was wrong. She could see it in the way the child slumped her shoulders and bent her head down, causing her hair to form a curtain around her face and concealing her from the rest of the world. It was clear that she wanted nothing more than to disappear from the rest of the world. Ms. Coalburg had been teaching for nearly a decade now, and she'd never seen a new student act like this before. Usually, new students made new friends fairly quickly, no matter how much they didn't want to be here. While she never expected them to become the most popular student overnight, they usually had one or two friends they played with by the end of the day. Mezoti, on the other hand, was different. She barely spoke to anyone, and nobody seemed to want anything to do with her. The tragedy broke Ms. Coalburg's heart. This was a very sweet little girl who was being ignored by everyone around her. She thought her students would be able to handle this, they had had long discussions about being welcoming to everyone in the days leading up to Mezoti's arrival, but there was a difference between talking about something and actually doing it. Once the rest of her students got used to her presence, she hoped that they would come to accept her. In the meantime, she would have to keep an eye on the child herself and make sure she was adjusting appropriately.

Once all her students were in the classroom, Ms. Coalburg emerged from behind her desk, ready to continue with instruction for the afternoon. As per usual, her students took a few minutes to calm down after the excitement of going out to recess. The laughing and talking eventually died down to silence, although it took about a minute, which gave Ms. Coalburg a chance to collect her thoughts.

"Now, let's pick up where we left off yesterday in science. Who can tell me what the most common elements are in the atmosphere?" Mezoti's hand immediately shot up before anyone else had a chance to think over the question. She immediately felt self-conscious and sank down in her seat as she lowered her hand. Unfortunately, Ms. Coalburg and everyone in the class already saw her. From her seat in the front row, Naya turned around and glared daggers at her, making her feel even worse than she already did. Any chances of making amends with her were immediately dashed. All Mezoti wanted to do was curl up under her desk and disappear.

"Go ahead, Mezoti," the teacher encouraged with a small nod.

"I forgot," she mumbled nearly incoherently as she kept her eyes glued to her desk.

"I'm sure you remember at least one of them." Mezoti shook her head and kept her lips sealed. She remembered all of them, even the trace elements that made up less than a tenth of a percent of the planet's atmosphere and how much of each element there was. She saw the dirty looks from students and didn't want to make them worse by showing off. In the back of her mind, she could hear her mother's voice chastizing her for not answering the question, but she didn't care; she knew the best way to fit in was to keep her mouth shut and not be so enthusiastic about answering questions. When she looked up at Ms. Coalburg, however, she could see the disappointment in her eyes. In an attempt to stop the looks full of contempt from her peers, she had ended up letting down her teacher. Thankfully, Ms. Coalburg continued, "Earth's atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% argon. The remaining 1% is made up of a wide variety of trace elements." Several students nodded as they started to remember learning that the day before, although some had completely blank stares as if they'd never heard the information before in their lives. Mezoti couldn't figure out how they had somehow managed to forget such simple information over the course of the past twenty-four hours; it really wasn't that difficult to remember

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Mezoti took her time packing up. While she was starting to dislike being at school, she was in no rush getting out of here, as it meant the possibility of running into students in the hall, especially Naya and Priya. At least if she took her time, she ran a lower risk of seeing those girls who had given her a hard time. As she wandered over to her cubby, Mezoti stopped to look at the map of the galaxy, just for a few seconds, it was hardly more than a quick glance to buy a little bit of extra time to let the other students clear out of the halls.

"Where is your home planet?" Ms. Coalburg asked as she appeared behind the child, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

"This map is inaccurate, it's hard to determine Norcadia Prime's exact location," Mezoti replied matter-of-factly once she regained herself.

"It's okay if you guess." Not only was Ms. Coalburg curious to learn a little bit more about her new student, but she was also attempting to build a relationship between them, show her that she was there if she needed someone to talk to

"Guessing is an inefficient use of time." Mezoti abandoned the map and walked towards her cubby to grab her backpack. She didn't want to talk to her teacher about trivial matters, it could cause students to tease her even more. "I have to go, I can't keep Chakotay waiting." She'd already wasted enough time, and she knew he had had a long day and wouldn't want to wait forever for her outside.

"Mezoti," Ms. Coalburg called as she trailed after her. "You're a very smart girl, don't let other students hold you back. It's okay to be smart. You bring a unique knowledge to this classroom, and I can't wait to see what you have to share with us." Mezoti shoved her books in her backpack haphazardly without paying attention to how messy things were. She just wanted to get out of here and go home. "I want to hear what you have to say in the classroom, I know you'll have some very interesting thoughts and ideas." If only it were that easy; Ms. Coalburg didn't know the importance of fitting in around here, she didn't have to worry about students teasing her. Mezoti began to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorway.

"Argon, methane, helium, neon, carbon dioxide, ozone and nitrous oxide," she stated without turning around. Confusion flashed across Ms. Coalburg's face. She had no idea what those elements had to do with their current conversation.

"I'm sorry?"

"Those are the trace elements in Earth's atmosphere," Mezoti explained as she turned around to face her teacher. "You left them out of today's lesson." A smile spread across Ms. Coalburg's face as she watched Mezoti turn and leave without another word. She certainly was a special child, if only she could get her to open up more in class. She was sure all the other students would learn a great deal from her and learn to appreciate her.

Chakotay's glove made a muffled _thwap_ as it came in contact with the punching bag that hung from the ceiling. The heavy bag swung slightly as he brought his fist back for another punch. Out of instinct, he kept his eyes open for a swing from his non-existent opponent as his fist slammed into the punching bag. He knew it was ridiculous to look for an opponent when he was alone in the basement. He longed for a sparring partner, someone to push him to his physical limits, which wasn't happening with only a punching bag for a partner. What he wouldn't give for one more round on the holodeck, one more chance to fight a real partner, or as real a partner as you can get on the holodeck. At least there, he was given a challenge. Here, all he could do was punch a large, heavy bag over and over again to keep his body in shape and used to the physical activity. Maybe one day he'd get back in the ring. Until then, he'd have to make do with what he had.

Chakotay continued to punch the bag over and over again until a glimmer of platinum hair caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Momentarily forgetting about boxing, he dropped his fists and turned around. Sure enough, Seven stood in the doorway, watching him with an amused smirk on her face.

"Have you been there long?" he asked before he snatched up a water bottle from the floor in the corner and took a long drink.

"Approximately one minute, forty-seven seconds," Seven replied. "Mezoti said you were down here, and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine," Chakotay assured as he yanked off his gloves and began to unwrap his hands. When he looked at her, he could tell that something was wrong. While her outward appearance was calm and collected, he could see a flicker of conflict in her pale blue eyes. It was subtle, but he knew her well enough to recognize it. "But something's bothering you," he observed. "What's wrong?" Seven sighed. She should have known better than trying to keep something from Chakotay, he could read her like a book.

She glanced behind her to make sure they were alone before replying, "I'm worried about Mezoti." He looked up from unwrapping his hands. Of all the things that could be bothering her, he didn't expect that. While he wasn't an expert on children, he didn't see any signs to be concerned about Mezoti. When he picked her up from school the past few days, she seemed well enough. Of course, she wasn't her usual bubbly self, but he attributed that to the fact that she was still adjusting to the new living arrangement. She'd been equally uncomfortable upon her arrival on _Voyager_ and figured that within a few weeks she'd be back to her old self, getting into mischief and causing all sorts of petty trouble. It was only her second day of school, there was still plenty of time for her to adjust.

"Why? Did she say something?" He hadn't heard anything, but, then again, she didn't exactly open up to him like she did with her mother. Seven shook her head.

"I took your advice and answered two questions at the end of each class today. One of my students asked about the psychological damage done to children who are assimilated."

"And now you're worried about how Mezoti is doing," Chakotay interjected as all the pieces finally fell into place. It was an understandable fear, especially given the fact that Seven considered Mezoti her daughter, regardless of the fact that they weren't biologically related; family was more than just blood. He wasn't overly concerned about Mezoti's psychological welfare. Children's minds were surprisingly fragile while simultaneously being incredibly resilient. They could snap under the smallest pressure and withstand the greatest hardship. Besides, she'd been free from the Collective for a while and was never an actual Borg drone in the same way that Seven had been.

"I'm sure Mezotti is fine," he assured before leaning over to kiss the top of her head.

"How can you be certain?"

"Because Mezoti has been severed from the Collective for two years. If there were any psychological problems, they would have appeared by now." Seven still didn't feel convinced. Mezoti was still young, and there was still plenty of time for problems to pop up. She'd never thought about what would happen in the years to come. In her mind, Mezoti seemed well adjusted and fairly happy, but that could easily change at the drop of a hat.

"Problems could arise in the future."

"They could. And tomorrow our house could explode, or the Borg could attack, or one of us could get in a shuttle accident on the way to work. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: nobody can guarantee what's going to happen tomorrow. Right now, you have a strong, resilient little girl upstairs, and if something does come up in the future, I know she'll be fine because she'll have you to guide her. If anyone can help her, it's you. You're her Mama after all." Seven smiled. She had no idea how Chakotay always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. It was an impressive skill that she needed to learn how to do. It all seemed to be so effortless to him as well. There was no thought process behind his inspirational speeches, he just said what was from the heart, and it always made her feel like it was all going to be alright.

"You sound confident in my parenting abilities," she commented.

"Because you've shown over the past two years that you're one hell of a mother, and Mezoti is damn lucky to have you in her life. You know what she's going through and always put her needs above your own."

"Do you really believe that?" she blurted out as she remembered the scathing conversation she had with Icheb in her office. It startled her, it was as if Chakotay knew what was going through her mind and how to assuage her fears right away.

"I wouldn't say it otherwise. Motherhood suits you, whether you realize it or not." Seven nodded. If Chakotay thought that she put Mezoti's needs above her own, then that was good enough for her. Unlike Icheb, he saw her life on a more intimate level and could better speak to her actions and motives. "Feeling better?"

"I am, thank you." When he tried to wrap his arms around her in a comforting hug, she squirmed and broke free, putting her hands squarely on his chest to push him away, which only encouraged him to playfully attempt to hug her even more. "You're sweaty."

"That didn't seem to bother you last night," he teased. At first glance, she looked unamused, but he could see a suppressed smile tugging at the corner of her lips, threatening to break through her outwardly annoyed facade and give away her pleasure in the playfulness.

"That was a different circumstance."

Undeterred, Chakotay asked, "So if we were to recreate what we did last night, you wouldn't mind the fact that I'm all sweaty?" She grasped his chin between her thumb and forefinger and gave him a firm look that she normal reserved for when she scolded Mezoti..

"That is a hypothesis you won't be able to confirm," she stated before pulling him down to peck him lightly on the lips and then releasing him from her grip. "How about you shower while I prepare dinner? Do you have any preference?"

"I'm sure whatever you make will be delicious." Finally free from Seven, he grabbed his water bottle. As he passed her to go back upstairs, he leaned over and kissed her cheek softly. "You're a fantastic mother," he whispered in her ear affectionately before giving her hand a reassuring squeeze and heading upstairs. Seven waited a few minutes before following after him. She certainly hoped he was right, as there was no way to ascertain her success as a parent.

 **Author's Note:** Be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a review, and while you wait for me to update, check out my other Seven/Chakotay fic: Coming Clean.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

As Mezoti stepped down from her alcove, anxiety consumed her. The thought of going to school and facing Naya and Priya again made her feel sick to her stomach. She couldn't imagine facing everyone at school for another day. Nobody talked to her, and people made fun of her; plus she was significantly further ahead than her peers, not that she meant to do so, she couldn't help it if she worked faster than they did. If anything, going to school was doing her a disservice. If she wanted to continue her academic pursuits, she needed to be challenged more, which wasn't happening where she was. Additionally, her peers wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, which only made her feel more alienated. It was bad enough being the new student, but she had Borg implants that marred her skin, and she was an alien species that nobody around here had even heard of. Any one of those would be difficult enough to deal with, but she had all three going against her at once. Mezoti mounted the steps and went upstairs while trying to think of a way to get out of school. She knew Seven wouldn't just let her stay home, she would have to come up with some sort of plausible excuse and hope that her mother would consent.

When Mezoti got to the top floor of the house so she could get dressed for the day, Seven was already dressed and heading downstairs to start breakfast. She thought she would have a few more minutes to think of a reason not to go to school, but since she was face to face with her mom, she had to get to work.

"Good, you're awake. You need to get dressed. Your regeneration cycle ran over, and now we're running late. Hurry up, you'll have to eat breakfast quickly," Seven instructed, immediately outlining Mezoti's marching orders for the morning. It was the same routine she followed every morning, so it felt redundant to get such orders this morning.

"Mama, I don't feel well," Mezoti blurted out without much forethought. In her mind, she had had all sorts of ideas of what to say, ways to get out of going to school for the day, but when it came time to speak up, all of them immediately fled her mind. Seven stopped right in her tracks. With her usual scrutinizing gaze, she looked Mezoti up and down as if she could determine just by looking at her if she really was ill. Mezoti shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably, hoping she looked sick enough to convince her mother to let her to stay home without pulling out her tricorder and scanning her, which would undoubtedly tell her that everything was fine.

"You appear to be fine," she commented sternly in a voice that told Mezoti not to argue with her. "You will go to school." She began to walk away, but Mezoti trailed after her. Normally she would simply accept her mother's directions, but today was different. She didn't want to go to school, she didn't want the other students to make fun of her.

"But Mama," she whined. Seven stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face her. There was a flicker of fire in her eyes, something Mezoti only saw when she was being particularly difficult, but she ignored that.

"Comply," Seven demanded.

"I don't feel well. Can't I just stay home today? I promise, I'll stay in bed all day and stay out of trouble."

"No, you are not old enough to be left home alone, and you need to go to school."

"No I don't," Mezoti argued. "I am far more advanced than the other students. It is inefficient to send me to school." She hoped that that argument would be enough to get her out of school, at least for a day or two while she thought of a new reason for her not to go to school. Seven remained unmoved by the plea. Usually she was sympathetic to her daughter and any physical ailments that may plague her, but she could see with her own eyes that nothing was wrong; she simply didn't want to go to school for reasons that she didn't quite understand. Up until now, Mezoti had always been fascinated with learning and education, so this about face confused her.

"There is more to school than academics. It is an important aspect of socialization for children your age. You will attend school on a daily basis, and you will not complain about it." If only she knew that the socialization aspect was what was causing her so many problems in the first place.

"But nobody-" Mezoti cut herself off. She didn't want to worry her mom about what was going on at school, all she wanted was to get out of going to school. If she brought up the fact that other children were mistreating her, it would cause her to worry. She may even go so far to make a scene at school, bringing it attention to the administration, thus causing more students to tease Mezoti for having an overbearing mother. If anything, it would do far more harm than good. Sensing that Mezoti was going continue, Seven raised her eyebrow and waited for her to go on. "But I don't want to go to school. I like it better when you teach me, you teach me more and far more efficiently."

"Efficiency is irrelevant. Now go get dressed."

"No!" Mezoti shouted. Seven's eyes doubled in size. She'd never heard the child defy her like that before. Yes, she had been difficult and disregarded her directions several times in the past, but she'd never been so outwardly disrespectful and defiant. At the end of the day, Mezoti always behaved herself and did as she was told, even if it took a bit of prodding from Seven. Today, however, appeared to be an exception. Mezoti looked just as determined to stay home from school and Seven seemed to get her to attend.

"Comply."

"I won't. I'm not going to school. I don't want to go."

"Mezoti, you are going to school, and I refuse to argue with you. Either you get dressed, or I will dress you myself like an infant." Mezoti and Seven glared at each other. It was a battle of wits, and both refused to back down, as they felt equally passionate about the issue at hand.

Chakotay pulled on his red undershirt that delineated him as having a command position in Starfleet. As he grabbed his outer tunic off its hanger, the sound of shouting caught his attention. At first, he wasn't sure what he heard, as yelling was extremely uncommon around here, but then he heard the distinct sound of Seven and Mezoti's raised voices, telling him that he wasn't hearing things. Thinking something was wrong with one of them, he rushed out of the closet, through the bedroom and out into the hallway where he found the pair facing off in front of Mezoti's room. Seven stood over the child with her arms folded over her chest while Mezoti stood with her feet planted shoulder width apart and glared up at her mother. Had the situation not been so serious, he would have found the sight somewhat amusing.

"What's going on here?" Chakotay asked, using his commanding voice that was normally reserved for giving orders on the bridge. The loud intrusion caught the attention of both Seven and Mezoti; they'd forgotten that he was getting dressed in the bedroom. For a moment, he didn't look like the easy-going, laid back members of the family but like a man ready to give orders.

"Mezoti has decided that she doesn't want to go to school," Seven replied. She sounded both annoyed and frustrated at the child's overt defiance.

"Mezoti, why don't you want to go to school?" Chakotay asked with a sigh, immediately dropping his commanding outward appearance, replacing with a look of frustration and annoyance. Of all the things to be fighting about, he couldn't believe it was something so trivial.

"I don't feel well," she replied as she looked up at him with large eyes, trying to look as innocent and pathetic as possible. He brushed his way past Seven and pressed the back of his hand to Mezoti's cheek and forehead to see if she had a fever. It was an old school method, made superfluous with the use of tricorders, but sometimes he found those methods the best. She looked and felt perfectly fine, with the exception of the stubborn look in her eyes that told him that she was determined to stay home no matter what.

"You're fine," he stated. "And you're going to school." She opened her mouth in protest. "No, you're not going to argue with me or your mother. You have to go to school, it's the law." Perhaps he was exaggerating a little bit. Yes, it was the law for Mezoti to attend school, but it was only a problem if she missed massive amounts of school. His main concern was if they let her stay home today when she was obviously fine, then it might set a bad precedent for the future.

"We're already running late. You need to get dressed, and we'll discuss this disciplinary infraction on our way to school," Seven instructed. She was glad that Chakotay supported her. This was their first real parenting difficulty together, and she wasn't sure how he would react. In all honesty, she expected to take care of most of the parenting issues on her own, but she was grateful for the support here.

"I'm not going," Mezoti announced. Chakotay felt his patience wearing dangerously thin. It was far too early for this, he hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet. At this rate, he was going to need an entire pot of coffee to get his day started properly.

"What if I take her?" he suggested as he buttoned up the front of his outer tunic. It didn't solve the problem of convincing Mezoti to go to school, but perhaps a little change of pace was all she needed to persuade her.

"We agreed on the arrangement that I would take Mezoti to school and you would pick her up." He shrugged.

"Parenting involves a little bit of flexibility. You're both mad at each other, and spending time alone in a shuttle will probably only make matters worse." Seven still looked perturbed at the suggestion. Not only had Mezoti proven to be highly disrespectful and insubordinate this morning, but now she was inconveniencing Chakotay and his morning routine. On the other hand, the thought of spending time alone with Mezoti in the shuttle right now caused her to become increasingly agitated. If anything, they both needed some distance as they cooled down and collected themselves; this was one of their worst disagreements to date, and some space would do them both some good.

"Fine," she complied begrudgingly. She kept a firm gaze on Mezoti. "You will behave today, and we'll discuss this further tonight." Mezoti's heart sank. Not only had she not managed to get out of going to school, but now she'd probably have to sit down and talk about why that was later today. If anything, she'd made matters worse. "Now go get dressed." Scowling, Mezoti retreated to her bedroom. She knew when a battle was lost, and this was one of those cases. There was no use arguing further.

Seven felt conflicted as she watched her daughter retreat to her bedroom. At least now she was following directions, not that that was making her feel much better about what had happened. This outburst seemed to come out of nowhere, leaving her feeling conflicted. Last night, she'd been convinced that Mezoti was settling into her new life without any problems, but apparently that wasn't the case. This fight seemed to come out of nowhere. As far as she'd known, everything had been going fine with Mezoti. Perhaps she'd been too wrapped up in her newfound time with Chakotay even notice the problems going on right in front of her. Tonight she promised herself to take the time to talk with Mezoti and see what was really bothering her.

One look at Seven told Chakotay that she was greatly bothered by the fight. He rubbed her arms soothingly and tried to think of what to say. Just like her, he was equally confused about where this newfound attitude came from. Mezoti was always so sweet. Yes, she had a habit of finding trouble, but it was always innocent, nothing like this.

"I'll talk to her," he softly assured. "I'll see what's wrong with her."

"Can you be certain she'll talk to you?" Seven asked. He shrugged. The two of them hadn't really taken the time to talk one on one, but he figured that she might be more than willing to open up to him.

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot." He kissed her forehead softly. "Don't worry, you just focus on work. I've faced the Borg, the Vidiians and the Kazon, I can handle a nine year old girl." Her hand rested on his cheek while she kissed him softly. Although the change in their routine greatly frustrated her, she was grateful for his flexibility and willingness to step up and help out. She knew that she had made the right decision in moving in with him, not everyone would be so willing to help.

With the situation with Mezoti resolved, at least for the time being, Chakotay was able to get himself some coffee and get his day started properly. He hadn't been planning on dropping Mezoti off at school, but he didn't mind. It did mean that he would be a few minutes late to work, but Starfleet was surprisingly relaxed about reporting to work on time when people were planetside. Additionally, nobody really gave him the time of day, which gave him even more freedom to come and go as he pleased. In a way, it was a blessing and a curse, because it also meant that he was constantly being overlooked for many jobs he was well suited for. As he sipped his coffee and leaned against the counter, Chakotay hoped he'd be able to figure out what was wrong with Mezoti and what caused her impromptu outburst. She was always so upbeat and cheerful. The discussion would have to happen during the ride to school, as now he was running late. To save time, he replicated an apple for Mezoti's breakfast and waited impatiently for her to arrive. The meal wouldn't live up to Seven's dietary standards for the child, but given the circumstances, it would have to do.

Ten minutes later, Mezoti stomped into the kitchen with a large pout plastered across her face. Clearly the time it took her to get ready hadn't done anything to calm her down, and she was still very upset about having to go to school. Chakotay swung her backpack over one shoulder and grabbed his bag in the other hand.

"We're going to be late, you'll have to eat in the shuttle," he announced as he pressed the apple into her hand. She opened her mouth to protest, but his firm expression told her that that wasn't the best idea. She'd only seen that expression aimed at insubordinate crew members, never her, which momentarily unsettled her. Clearly she'd stepped over the line, but she didn't want to go to school. Scowling, she took a bite of the apple and trailed after him. Today was going to be awful, she could just feel it.

In the shuttle, Chakotay glanced over at Mezoti, who stared at the apple in her hand. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry right now. He didn't need to be an expert on children to know that something was bothering her. In the two years he'd known her, he'd never seen her act up that way. While it was a sign that she was comfortable enough with Seven to behave accordingly, it was also a sign that something was clearly bothering her.

"Why don't you want to go to school?" he asked gently. She shrugged and muttered under her breath incoherently. "You're going to need to speak up, Mezoti, I can't hear you, I'm getting old." He hoped the quip about his age would lift her spirits, but she remained steadfast and grumpy.

"I said I don't know," she repeated louder but still in a low, barely comprehensible voice that was full of an uncharacteristic attitude.

"There has to be a reason. I'm sure you didn't wake up from your regeneration cycle this morning and all of a sudden decide you don't want to go. I thought you were enjoying yourself." She shrugged and rolled the apple around in her hand absentmindedly, deliberately keeping her eyes downcast.

"It's okay," she muttered indifferently under her breath.

"Well why isn't it great?" Chakotay pressed. He'd told Seven that he was going to get to the bottom of this, and he was going to keep his word. He was far more accustomed to dealing with adults, who tend to be more forthcoming with information. "Are you making friends? Are you enjoying the material you're covering?"

"It's okay," she repeated.

"Mezoti, you know you can tell me if something's bothering you, and I won't tell your mom." She glanced up at him. His kind brown eyes bore into her, and for a second, she considered telling him that she was having problems with some girls at school. She doubted that he wouldn't tell her mother though, she heard them talking every night, and there were no secrets between them. She knew it would be foolish to believe him. Anything she told him, her mother would know by the end of the day.

"There's nothing to tell," she snapped, her now loud voice bouncing off the bulkheads. "I don't feel well, and I wanted to stay home. There's nothing more to say about it."

"Okay, but the offer still stands." She rolled her eyes. The offer may stand, but she didn't need to talk to anyone about her problems, especially Chakotay. His heart may be in the right place, but she didn't want to talk to him about it. As far as she was concerned, he was her mother's boyfriend, and she didn't want to talk to him about school...or anything else for that matter.

The second Chakotay landed the shuttle, anxiety began to build up inside of Mezoti. Now she really felt sick, she wasn't just pretending to get out of going to school. She unbuckled herself and grabbed her backpack. Her hands trembled slightly as she swung it onto her back and adjusted her dress.

As she exited the shuttle, he called after her, "Mezoti, remember that it's all going to be okay." She ignored him and dashed out of the shuttle. The quicker she got this day started, the sooner it would be over with.

Mezoti shoved her hands deep in her pockets to hide the fact that they were trembling and dragged her feet across the sidewalk to the playground. The entire time, she could feel Chakotay's eyes on her back while he watched her. Refusing to look back at him and let him know that she knew he was watching her, she kept her own gaze firmly locked dead ahead as she dashed around the corner and out of line of sight. She should have endured a lecture from her mother and let her take her to school, at least she didn't watch her when she got to school.

Chakotay watched for a moment as Mezoti wove her way through other students. Her body language spoke volumes, indicating this was the last place she wanted to be. Her shoulders hunched over, and she kept her eyes downcast. She didn't look at any other students, and none of them looked at her. It was as if she didn't exist at all. The realization made Chakotay feel him sick in the stomach. She was having trouble fitting in around here. Mezoti might not be his daughter, but he still wanted her to fit in with everyone else at school. He knew how important socialization was to Seven, but clearly it wasn't working. She may have to reexamine her methods, if only he knew how to help.

As soon as Mezoti rounded the corner, she found herself face to face with Naya and Priya. Just when she thought her morning couldn't get any worse, it did. She tried her best to hide her disappointment at running into the two girls, but she tended to wear her emotions on her sleeve. If only she could learn to hide her emotions as well as her mother. One look at Naya's face told her that she was equally displeased to see her.

"Oh, it's you," she sneered as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Excuse me," Mezoti muttered as she attempted to slide past the pair. Naya moved to stand in her way. When Mezoti tried to go past her, she moved to stand in her way once again. The first time, Mezoti thought that it was just an accident, but now she knew that she was doing this intentionally.

"Nobody wants you here," Naya announced boldly and without provocation. "Why don't you go back to your Cube or whatever planet you came from that gave you that hideous ridge? You look like such a freak."

To make her point, Naya reached out to swipe her hand over Mezoti's implant, but Priya pushed her hand away, shrieking, "Be careful! She might try to assimilate you!" Naya recoiled her hand in horror. Tears stung Mezoti's eyes as she forcibly shoved past her and bolted for the building. Most of the students were still outside, but she wanted nothing to do with being out here and wanted nothing to do with being here in general.

At Headquarters, Chakotay sat at his desk working when the LCARS perched on the far edge of his desk began to chirp and beep, telling him that someone was trying to call him. It took him a moment to realize what was going on, as nobody ever called him at work, if they needed him, they showed up in his office, which was an equally rare occurrence. He put his PADD to the side and pressed the button to answer the call. Seven's face appeared on the screen, which immediately caused him to grow concerned..

"Seven!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Is everything alright? You've never called me at work before." Even through a screen, he could see that something was bothering her. It was in the subtle way she flitted her clear blue eyes back and forth nervously paired with her slightly clenched jaw.

"Is now a bad time?" she asked. In all honesty, it wasn't exactly the best time, but he could see that she needed him. Family was more important than work.

"Of course not. What's wrong? Are you alright?" A million terrible thoughts flooded his mind. Something must be wrong, why else would she call him at work? She always emphasized that there should be a clear line between their personal and professional lives, which included focusing on work during the day.

"I am undamaged," she replied. "I have been having trouble concentrating though."

"You're worried about Mezoti." She nodded. Suddenly, an idea dawned on him. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would lift her spirits a little bit. He looked at the clock in the corner of his screen. "When's your next class?"

"In approximately an hour and a half. Why?" Chakotay thought about how long it would take him to get over to the Academy, which was only two buildings over. At the very most, it would take him fifteen minutes to get to her office, which left them plenty of time to spend together when he got there.

"I'm coming over."

"That's unnecessary and unprofessional," Seven argued. She knew she shouldn't have called him, he would do something reckless such as this. She should have simply suffered through her inability to concentrate on her own and not bothered him, because at least then he would be getting work done. Now, neither of them would be able to do much of anything.

"Doesn't matter, I'm coming anyway. I'll see you soon." She pursed her lips and scowled in frustration. When she called Chakotay, she only meant to talk to him for a few minutes during her office hours, not invite him over. He didn't give her a chance to protest, as he ended the transmission and immediately got to his feet.

With a paper bag clutched firmly in his hand, Chakotay wove through the maze of corridors down to Seven's office. He'd been down here a few times to help her set up, but he was still worried about getting lost, this place was like a labyrinth. As he walked, he couldn't help but peek into the offices. Some were closed and dark, indicating that their inhabitants were in class, while others housed instructors either working or meeting with cadets. Seeing a Starfleet officer was commonplace at the Academy, so nobody gave him any mind. Several cadets seemed to recognize him, doing a double take as they passed, but thankfully nobody stopped him, which was exactly how he liked things. When he first got back to Earth, everyone seemed to know who he was and what he had done, but now nobody really cared. It gave him the ability to move on with his life. He wasn't anything special, and he hated the fact that people treated him like something that he wasn't.

When Chakotay got to Seven's office, he found her attempting to plan her upcoming lessons as she sat at her desk. For a moment, he watched her from the doorway. To any outsider, she looked fine, like nothing was bothering her. He knew her better, however, and could see that something was wrong. It was subtle, the way she clenched and unclenched her fist as she poured over her computer console paired with the creases indented between her brow and implant, telling him that she was putting forth much more knowledge than usual to get even the simplest of tasks done. Chakotay knocked on the door, announcing his arrival.

She looked up from her work and immediately said, "You didn't need to come."

"But I'm here, and I brought you something to eat." He entered the office and left the door cracked behind him, giving them a little bit of privacy but still indicating that anyone who came by could enter if necessary. "So there's nothing you can do about it."

"I don't require nourishment right now." He leaned against the desk next to Seven and gazed down at her with his usual soft, loving brown eyes. One look, and Seven's annoyed facade instantly melted away, softening to an expression of gratitude. She had no idea why his gaze always caused her heart to flutter and her thoughts to become scrambled.

"Doesn't matter, it would be rude to refuse it. I slaved over a hot replicator all for you." With a look of pride, he handed over the bag. Intrigued, she opened the bag and pulled out a strawberry tart. She smiled. "I know it's not the same as making one from scratch, but I couldn't exactly go home and start baking." The thought of Chakotay baking caused her to smile slightly. She knew he liked to cook, but baking pastries was something else entirely.

"No, this was very considerate of you. You didn't need to go to such lengths."

"Yes I did. You must have been pretty worried to call me at work." Not wanting to be rude, Seven took a bite of the tart. As soon as she tasted, it, she realized that it was exactly what she needed right now. When she first became human, she couldn't understand why humans seemed to eat when they were upset, but she was slowly starting to understand the strange habit. There was something comforting about eating something enjoyable, such as a strawberry tart.

"I was concerned about Mezoti and wanted to make sure she was respectful to you on her way to school."

"She was fine, Seven. I mean, she was a bit moody, but she had a rough morning." He paused. Now that he thought about it, there was something that was bothering him. She could see it in his eyes. "Do you watch her when you drop her off?" he asked. She raised her eyebrow in confusion and intrigue.

"Of course I do," she replied. "I watch as she enters the school grounds, and once she's there safely, I leave."

"But you don't stay to watch her?"

"Why would I? She's safe on school property, rendering my presence unnecessary." Seven started to grow concerned. She never thought to watch Mezoti. Usually they were running late, so she didn't linger, just long enough to make sure she was safely on school property.

"She doesn't have any friends, Seven. The kids avoid her, none of them even look at her. She's lonely, that's probably why she doesn't want to go to school." Seven's heart sank. She hadn't even noticed. What kind of mother was she if she didn't even notice that Mezoti didn't have any friends at school? Back on _Voyager_ it had been easy for her to make friends with Naomi, who saw everyone as a potential new companion, and Icheb, with whom she shared a special bond from their time in the Collective. Here, however, it would be difficult for her to find children with whom she had similar experiences, which was one of the cornerstones of forming friendships.

"How do we rectify the situation?" Chakotay shrugged. Raising children wasn't exactly his area of expertise. He honestly expected Seven to take care of most of the problems with Mezoti, just like she'd been doing for a few years now.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe we can encourage her to play with some of the children in the neighborhood. You know, step outside of her comfort zone and meet some kids that way." She carefully thought about the suggestion. She'd seen the other children in the neighborhood playing, and while she didn't know anything about them or their parents, she thought that they would be suitable playmates for her daughter. On the other hand, she wanted Mezoti to make friends at school as well. She would be spending most of her time at school, and those were the children she would see the most of, so it was important that they all got along.

"Socialization is an important aspect of schooling as well," she pointed out.

"I know, but we'll take baby steps. It may take some time, but we'll get there. Pretty soon, we'll be dragging her from friend's house to friend's house every weekend on a never ending stream of playdates." Perhaps he was exagerating just a little bit, but he certainly hoped that that would be true. Mezoti deserved to make plenty of friends after what happened to her early childhood. Chakotay didn't dare admit that he had no idea how they were going to get there though. On _Voyager_ , he always felt like he knew what to do, but here he was back on Earth, and a nine year old child's lack of a social life was giving him a run for his money.

Even though he had no idea what they were going to do about Mezoti, Seven felt reassured by Chakotay. He seemed confident that everything would be alright, and he had yet to be wrong. She took a bite of the tart. He instinctively reached over and wiped away some strawberry jam smeared across the corner of her lips with his thumb and then popped his thumb in his mouth. It was simultaneously an innocent and intimate action that also comforted her for some reason. Previously she would have found such an action uncomfortable, but now it showed her just how comfortable they were with each other now.

"That's not half bad," he commented.

"If you wanted a bite, all you had to do was ask," Seven said as she held up the pastry. While she meant for him to take it from her, he simply took a small bite as she held it. She was right, it wasn't bad. "Thank you for bringing me these and coming to check on me. I know you have a very busy schedule."

"Oh yeah, the menial paperwork the admirals keep throwing at me really keeps me busy," Chakotay commented dryly with a role of his eyes. "I just want to make sure you're alright. I know this is a lot of pressure on you."

"I'm fine, I am more concerned about Mezoti's wellbeing."

"Well, we're going to keep an eye on her together."

"This isn't something you need to be overly concerned about." He scoffed at the notion. Even if Mezoti wasn't living with him, he'd still be concerned about her because she was an important part of Seven's life.

"Of course it is. I'm here to help you, and I'll always be here." He kissed her forehead softly. He meant it from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to know that Mezoti was alright, because he cared about her. She may not realize it, but he really did. What caught him off guard was the fact that it happened almost immediately. As soon as she moved into his house, he knew the child's well being was now his burden, not just Seven's, and he was more than willing to help her carry the heavy load; it was why he was here. He still thought that Seven would take care of most of the issues pertaining to Mezoti, particularly discipline, but there was something about knowing that she didn't have any friends that made him want to step in and take charge himself.

That afternoon, Chakotay waited like he always did outside his shuttle for Mezoti, just like he had done every afternoon that week; it was starting to become part of his routine. At first, it was difficult adjusting to the modified hours at Starfleet: arriving earlier than usual so he could leave earlier, but he found that he rather enjoyed it; he was more of a morning person anyway. As he waited, he watched as children spilled out of the school, laughing and talking with their friends. Several darted over to the playground, eager to get a few more minutes of fun in before heading home, while others skidded to a stop in front of their parents with large smiles plastered across their faces as they eagerly started sharing every last detail about their day. Mezoti, on the other hand, dragged her feet as she exited the building, as if she was on her way to some sort of excruciating punishment. Chakotay immediately noticed that nobody talked to her. Several even averted their gaze and made sure to give her a wide berth, as if she was contagious. He approached her and instinctively took her backpack. Without bothering to thank him, Mezoti entered the shuttle and buckled herself up, silently telling her that she was ready to get out of here. Chakotay trailed after her.

"How was school?" he asked as he started up the shuttle and took off in the direction of home. "And don't you say it was okay, you used up your quota for that word this morning." She shrugged.

"It was adequate," she replied. It wasn't the word "okay", so technically she hadn't violated his request. Chakotay couldn't help but roll his eyes. He should have figured that she would find a way to circumvent his request.

"Just adequate? Did you learn anything new? Make any new friends?"

"No, not really." Mezoti kept her gaze locked ahead of her, refusing to even look in Chakotay's general direction. The teasing today had been just as terrible as she thought it would be. She'd done her best to avoid Naya and Priya, but it seemed like they sought her out for ridicule. Besides, it wasn't like there was anyone else around to help her or stand up for her, everyone avoided her. She would find a way to adapt. If she could adapt to being severed from the Collective, she could find a way to overcome this, it would just take some time.

When Mezoti got home, the weather was just too nice to ignore. Her mother allocated approximately one hour of leisure time after getting home from school before she had to start on her homework, and she was going to take full advantage of that time today, especially after the day she had. Ignoring the hook on the wall designated for her backpack, she dumped the bag on the floor in the foyer and bolted upstairs to grab her specimen containers. She'd been meaning to see what kinds of bugs were hiding in the backyard and hadn't had the time until now. Chakotay followed her inside and looked at her backpack. His first instinct was to pick it up, but as he bent down, he realized that that would just set a dangerous precedent for the future of her just dumping her backpack on the floor and ignoring it.

"Mezoti, come put your backpack away," he called up the stairs. Moments later, she appeared at the top of the stairs with her arms full of specimen containers. Very carefully, she maneuvered the steps, mindful not to drop anything. When she got to the bottom of the steps, she dumped the containers on the ground with a loud clatter. "Are you going outside?" Chakotay asked as she dutifully followed his directions.

"Is that alright?" she asked. The look in her eyes told him that she was genuinely concerned with getting permission from him to go outside, as if she wasn't allowed to. There was also a sense of skepticism in her eyes, and if she didn't think he would let her go outside and play.

"Of course it is. I think I'll join you." Her heart sank as she picked up the containers once again. In all honesty, she'd been looking forward to some time alone outside, just her and her bugs. She couldn't exactly say no, this was his house after all, so he was the one who made the rules. Instead of protesting, she scooped up the last of her specimen containers and headed for the backyard. The closer she got to the backyard, the more excited she got about being able to look for bugs and less she thought about the fact that Chakotay would be joining her. With any luck, he would leave her alone and find his own way to occupy himself..

Unlike Mezoti who headed straight for the backyard, Chakotay wanted to change before going outside. There was only so much time he could stand to be in his uniform before he started to get uncomfortable. He changed into a pair of casual slacks and short sleeved shirt before grabbing a book off his nightstand, which was covered with a variety of books he was reading simultaneously, and following her. By the time he got outside, she had already found a spot of dirt on the far end of the yard and seemed to be eagerly searching for bugs to analyze. The amount of dedication she showed fascinated him. Her brow furrowed with extreme concentration as she carefully searched, like a hunter in search of its prey. Her hair formed a curtain around her, shielding part of her face from view as she worked, but he could still see the look of determination etched across her face.

Figuring Mezoti was more than capable of entertaining herself, Chakotay stretched out in the hammock in the shade and opened his book. He'd been so caught up in everything going on, he hadn't been able to come out here for a few days. He wasn't complaining, as he loved having Seven and Mezoti here and being able to spend time with them, but he also liked this down time where he could get outside and just relax. Being in an office all day certainly could be taxing on a person, especially someone like him who enjoyed fresh air. He hadn't realized just how much he missed this until he opened his book and began to read. Instantly, the world around him melted away as he got lost in the pages in front of him. He even temporarily forgot that he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Mezoti as well.

At first the noise was distant, barely something Chakotay recognized as he focused on his book. Gradually, however, it got louder and more distinct, allowing him to identify it as the sound of children playing. Their laughter and squeals of delight floated through the backyard, presumably from the front yard. They sometimes got so caught up in their games that they ran across his property. It never really bothered him, because they were relatively harmless, and it was all in good fun. He knew there were children in the neighborhood, he saw and heard them enough, but he never actually paid attention to them until now. It was hard to determine how many there were, the numbers varied from day to day based on who was allowed to come outside and play. It sounded like an entire army of them playing, but it could just as easily be two or three. When he looked over at Mezoti, who was transferring some dirt and sticks into a specimen container for one of her new bugs, she seemed completely unfazed by the noise. He knew she heard them, it would be impossible not to hear them, they were the only noise on this quiet evening. Chakotay hated seeing her all alone, especially when there were children just a few hundred meters away for her to play with.

Remembering his conversation with Seven at lunch, he called, "Mezoti." Surprised, her head shot up. She'd been so caught up in what she was doing that she honestly forgot that he was there. "Why don't you go play with the other children?" While it sounded like a suggestion, she could hear in his voice that he was really telling her what to do. She scrunched up her nose.

"I'm fine," she replied. She had no interest in engaging other children in idle games, not when she'd just discovered some new and exciting bugs to bring inside. She couldn't wait to document and sketch them; they would make wonderful additions to her collection.

"You sure you don't want to go play with them?" In a less than graceful manner, Chakotay got out of the hammock, crossed the yard in a handful of long strides and crouched down next to her. "I bet they'd love to see your bugs." He watched as a bug he didn't recognized crawled across a twig diagonally draped across the specimen container, eager to escape, but its escape was thwarted when Mezoti snapped the lid down on the container, trapping it inside. The insect had an electric blue exterior and appeared to be some sort of beetle, although he had to admit that he knew almost nothing about bugs.

"I need to make sure I've created a proper habitat for it," Mezoti rebuked, although the habitat was properly assembled, and she was ready to move on to finding a new bug.

Undeterred, Chakotay asked, "What kind of bug is it?"

"It's a cobalt milkweed beetle." She focused on the task in front of her as she answered, refusing to make eye contact with him. She really didn't want to talk to him, she just wanted to collect her bugs and put them safely in her room where she could continue to analyze them.

"What are you going to do with him?" She shrugged. She'd probably keep him in her room for a few days, giving her a chance to record its habits and get down a few sketches before releasing it back to the wild. She never liked keeping her bugs for very long, they deserved to be outside and enjoy their freedom.

Chakotay couldn't figure out if he'd done something wrong that would cause Mezoti to treat him so coldly. If anything, he thought that she would be happy to talk to him after he stepped in and stopped the fighting with Seven that morning. If anything, she closed him out even more now. She barely looked at him and gave the shortest answers possible. Back on _Voyager_ , she'd always been bubbly and eager to talk to him and just about anyone else who gave her the time of day (all thanks to the fact that Naomi was practically glued to her side and helped her come out of her shell), but that didn't appear to be the case anymore. He tried to think if he'd done anything to cause this animosity, but nothing immediately came to mind. This child was a mystery to him; a mystery he was determined to solve.

Groaning, Chakotay flopped over in bed and instinctively stretched out his arm for Seven. For a split second, he wondered where she was until he remembered that she was in the basement regenerating. It was her first regeneration cycle since moving in. It had only been a few days, but he'd already grown accustomed to having her in bed with him. Alone in the expansive bed, Chakotay rolled onto his back and flung his arm over his head. For some reason, he felt wide awake.

"Computer, what time is it?" he demanded irritably.

The computer beeped and responded, "The time is currently 2335." Great, at least if it was close to when he had to get up he'd just give up and get out of bed. Chakotay stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before getting up. He knew that when he was awake like this, trying to sleep was pointless; he would simply have to wait until his body was tired again, so he might as well be productive.

As quietly as possible, Chakotay headed down the hall and instinctively peeked his head in Mezoti's room. From his vantage point at the door, he could see the gentle rise and fall as she curled up on her bed with her back to the door. For a moment, he watched her from the doorway, wishing there was something he could do to help her at school. He never really experienced a lot of problems with fitting in when he was little, he was more of the bitter, lonely teenager who was angry with just about everyone, so he didn't have any words of advice to offer her. All he felt that he could do was offer her support.

Suddenly, it hit Chakotay. The solution to the problem was so simple. He closed Mezoti's bedroom door and retreated to his office, leaving the door cracked open. In the privacy of his office, he opened the bottom drawer of his desk and retrieved his medicine bundle. With his back to the door, he sat on the floor and unwrapped the bundle, lightly running his fingers over the contents. Taking a deep breath, he put his hand on the akoonah, instantly activating the device. There was something about preparing for a vision quest that always instantly relaxed him, as if his mind and body knew he was preparing to get the answers he desperately needed to important questions, therefore taking a huge burden off his shoulders.

"A-koo-chee-moya, I come to you, far from the bones of my fathers, searching for answers on how to guide a lost little girl and give her the support she deserves." The akoonah did its job, drawing him away from the cold, hard floor of his office and pulling him into a world in his mind where he could get the answers he so desperately needed.

The ground crunched beneath Chakotay's feet as he wandered through the familiar jungles of his home planet. Even though he knew it was all in his mind, that he was still sitting on the floor of his office back on Earth, there was something comforting about at least appearing to be home. He absentmindedly trailed his fingers over the thick, dark green leaves that lined the winding path. His feet carried him without his mind having to tell them; they knew exactly where he was going as if he had never left in the first place. As he came to a clearing at the end of the trail, he saw a familiar form sitting on a fallen log, waiting for him.

"Father." In all honesty, he thought he was going to see his grandfather, but he should know by now not to go into his vision questions without any preconceived notions. Kolopak stood up to greet his son, extending his arms for a paternal hug.

"Chakotay," he greeted as he clapped his son on the back before motioning for him to sit on the log with him. Chakotay complied, and his father sat next to him. For a moment, both men sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Mezoti's eyes fluttered open. Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she crept out of bed to get a drink of water from the bathroom. The house was eerily silent; it gave her the creeps. Part of her wanted to go back to bed, but she also wanted some water. As quietly as possible, opened her bedroom door. A narrow band of light down the hall danced across the floor. Momentarily forgetting about her quest for a drink, she tiptoed down the hall to investigate. As far as she knew, everyone was fast asleep, so there shouldn't be any lights on.

The light came from Chakotay's office courtesy of a partially open door. As quietly as possible, she peeked inside, wondering if something was wrong. She saw Chakotay sitting on the floor with his back to her. A strange piece of fabric was unrolled in front of him, and she could just barely make out some unfamiliar objects resting on it. She'd never seen any of that before. Eager to get a closer look, Mezoti hesitantly entered the doorway. At first, she had no idea what Chakotay was doing. He clutched a device in his hand. Feeling she was intruding on something private, Mezoti backed away and dashed down the hall to her bedroom, completely forgetting about her drink of water and instead feeling incredibly guilty for intruding on what was obviously a private moment.

After several minutes of comfortable silence, Kolopak finally stated, "You were always a difficult child. Whenever I told you not to do something, you always ran off and did it." Chuckling under his breath, he shook his head while Chakotay felt guilty. In his youth, he had been the epitome of a rebel, first against his people's traditions that he now held close to his heart and then against Starfleet when he joined the Maquis.

"I never meant to be difficult," he confessed as he hung his head,

"I know, but you were. It always made your sister feel stressed that her big brother couldn't calm down and find his way. She's very proud of you now." Chakotay knew that. Sekaya often said that in their letters and calls. The mention of her reminded him that there was a letter from her sitting on his desk that he had to respond to soon, it had already been nearly a week.

"I know, she told me."

"Those boys of hers sure cause a lot of problems, but she's remarkably patient with them, no matter what they do. It really is amazing. She's always there to listen to them, to offer them support. She listens to them and talks to them about anything they want. They also make sure to spend time together. I know I've told you that our traditions are important, but family is the most important thing. If a man doesn't have his family, he doesn't have anything." Kolopak paused, allowing his words to sink in. Chakotay stared at the ground, mulling over the words. In his father's true fashion, he veiled his advice in a story, forcing Chakotay to make sense of it all on his own. "Understand?"

He nodded slowly and said, "Yeah, I think I do." He knew what he had to do, he just had no idea how to get it done. That part, he would have to figure out with the help of Seven, who was far more familiar with Mezoti and how to raise her.

 **Author's Note:** I completely meant to post this yesterday, but I ended up adding an entire scene during my revisions, so that didn't happen. I hope you like it! If you do, make sure to leave a review. Also, check out my other fic: Coming Clean.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

There was a certain respect that came with wearing an admiral's uniform. Kathryn didn't notice it until she donned her own uniform shortly after her return to the Alpha Quadrant. Now, all of a sudden, every officer and cadet she passed seemed to stop and nod in her direction out of respect, although it was sometimes difficult for her to determine if the respect came from the uniform or her notoriety for returning from the Delta Quadrant. Kathryn liked to tell herself it was the former. Even on _Voyager_ , the respectful nods of acknowledgement had stopped after the first year or two in the Delta Quadrant when the crew shifted from a crew to a family of sorts. Besides, she never liked such formalities, she liked to appear approachable by those around her; she found that it allowed problems to be solved much quicker. Here, however, she was given a wide berth, as if officers and cadets were afraid to approach her due to either or fame or her rank. She knew she had a reputation for being tough, but you'd have to be tough to survive for seven years in the Delta Quadrant. She wished there was a way to shirk that reputation and just be herself.

Unbothered by the staring and looks of both fear and admiration, Kathryn walked to Chakotay's office and rang the doorbell. She was a woman on a mission, and she wasn't going to let the stares of those around, refusing to let them bother her. Eventually, they would subside, and she would be little more than just another Starfleet flag officer, here to give orders and do her job.

"Enter," Chakotay called from the other side of the door. The door slid open, and she walked inside. As soon as he saw her, a smile broke out across his face. "I thought you forgot to stop by," he commented as he got to his feet and gave her a hug and warm kiss on the cheek.

"Of course I didn't forget," she assured. "I just got wrapped up in something else." There always seemed to be something going on, some sort of issue that others made out to be a dire emergency despite the fact that it really wasn't. As a result, she felt like she was always being dragged into endless meetings and conferences where menial decisions were being made. If only lower ranking officers could learn to make decisions for themselves, it certainly would make her life easier, although it might put her out of a job. Without bothering to ask for permission, Kathryn sat down. He joined her, but not before replicating her a cup of coffee. She laughed. "You're too kind to me."

"Someone's got to look after you." He hoped she was looking after herself, she had a habit of neglecting her own needs for the needs of others, although when they were on _Voyager_ , he always did his best to keep an eye on her. She took a sip of coffee. "So tell me, how are Mezoti and Seven? I stopped by her office at the Academy, but she was in class."

"They keep her busy at the Academy," Chakotay explained with a sympathetic nod. It was also difficult for him to get a hold of her at work. When they started working for Starfleet together, he had hoped they would be able to eat lunch together once a week or so, but it was nearly impossible with their chaotic schedules. "I think it's hard for her because she's so used to everything coming easy, but teaching is difficult."

"You don't need to tell me. Anyone who teaches at the Academy has my utmost respect, and it must be especially difficult for Seven because she's never actually attended school."

"It's a learning process, but I think it's going well. She's giving her first quiz today, so either she'll be in a really good mood when she gets home tonight or a really bad mood."

"I'm sure everything will go great. There's no better person to teach about the Borg than a former drone. Just think about the amount of information she has to offer. If we had had her as a resource even ten years ago…" Kathryn trailed off as she thought about the possibilities. If they had had just a fraction of the information Seven had shared with the Federation about the Borg, they may have been able to somehow overcome the threat by now or at least greatly subdued the threat. They had her now though, and they were using her to her full potential while her information was still relevant. With each passing day, however, her knowledge became that more outdated, as the Borg were constantly evolving and changing. There would come a day where Seven's knowledge would no longer be useful, but that hopefully wouldn't be for quite some time.

Kathryn realized that she had zoned out for a few moments as she thought about all the information Seven had to offer to the Federation. As she came back to reality, she took a long drink of her coffee and collected her thoughts.

"What's it like living with a child?" she asked Chakotay as she leaned forward in her seat. It was his turn to get lost in his thoughts as he carefully contemplated an answer. What was it like? He'd be lying if he didn't say that it changed how he did even the simplest of tasks, but it wasn't as life-altering as he thought it would be. Mezoti was fairly independent, it wasn't like he had a baby in the house. As a result, she didn't really interact with him, unless he was giving her directions or she was asking for permission to do something.

"She and Seven got in a fight the other day, which I'd never seen before." Kathryn nodded understandingly. Mezoti could be a fiesty child, but she always seemed to respect Seven and her rules, no matter how unreasonable they might be. On the other hand, Seven was learning how to be flexible, which was key to parenting. It was a learning experience for both of them as their relationship shifted to a more familial one.

"What about?" she inquired.

"Mezoti's struggling with school. I think she's having trouble making friends, but she won't tell me or Seven. I've tried talking to her about it, but she won't even look at me when I ask her about it. I've even tried talking to her about her interests, but that won't work either. When we were on _Voyager_ , she was always so bubbly and full of life, but now I'm afraid that she's wilting. I can't help but think that it's because of me." Kathryn instinctively took Chakotay's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Mezoti's used to seeing you as First Officer on _Voyager_ , but now all that's changed. Before, she'd see you sparingly and always as an authority figure. Now, she's living in your house; you're there when she wakes up, you're there when she goes to sleep, and you're in a very serious romantic relationship with her mother. When you add to that adjusting to going to school for the first time in her life, I'd be surprised if you weren't having any problems," she explained. "Children are surprisingly resilient, yet surprisingly fragile. You have to give her time to adjust. I'm sure in a few weeks, she'll be perfectly comfortable with you and acting like her old self. These things take time though."

"What should I do until then? I want to make sure Mezoti's comfortable in her own house." Mezoti's adjustment was more important than anything else to him right now. He wanted to ensure she enjoyed herself and felt free to be herself. He loved the troublesome little girl he used to know. She always meant well and had a heart of gold. He'd given anything to have that back. Kathryn shrugged.

"Win her over with your boyish charm and that dazzling smile of yours. Show her that you care, even if she's giving you the cold shoulder. She'll come around, it's impossible to resist you."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," he teased. Although she did her best to keep her expression neutral, her eyes gave away a slight glimmer that told him that he was right, but that was a door they'd both decided to close years ago before it made the already complicated situation in the Delta Quadrant even more complex.

"After seven years together, I'd like to think that I know you well enough to know that there's no way for that child to resist you. Just give her some time to come around. This is a lot for a little girl to process. Put yourself in her shoes. What would you want if you were her?" Chakotay sat back as he mulled over the question. He had no idea what he would want if he were in Mezoti's shoes. He figured he'd want to know that his relationship with his mother wasn't in jeopardy because of all the changes going on around him. Somehow, he had to convince Mezoti that while everything was changing around her, many things were going to stay the same. He had no idea how he was going to do that, it seemed like an impossible task, but he would have to find a way to do so. It was the same exact thing his father told him on his vision quest, although he had no idea how to achieve that; his expertise with children was incredibly limited, he hadn't even seen his nephews in over a decade, which, up until recently, were the only children in his life.

While he thought about it, Chakotay turned his coffee cup around in his hand and watched the dark liquid swirl around. Kathryn knew that look on his face, he had no idea what to do or how to proceed. It was a rare look for him, but it was known to happen sometimes. While he may not have the endgame in mind, this was a man who always knew what to do next.

"I guess I don't know how to proceed from here," he admitted. "How to support her and show her that everything's going to be alright."

"Just be there for her and show her you're there if she needs someone to talk to. One of the things I love about you is your ability to always know what to say, even if it isn't something I don't want to hear." He cracked a smile as he thought of the hundreds of times they butted heads. If anything, those disagreements only made their relationship stronger. Somehow, he needed to transfer that close relationship to Mezoti. "Other than the problem with Mezoti, how is living together? Is it everything you thought it would be?"

"It's been an adjustment," he replied. "I've never lived with a romantic partner before." It's true. Even when he was sleeping with Seska, they kept separate quarters and some semblance of professionalism between them, which had been of the utmost importance to him (her, not so much). "It's strange, because we used to relish in every second we got together because our schedules were so busy, so we never knew when we'd be able to spend time together. Now, we go to bed together, and we wake up together. Everything we do is together."

"And now you're worried that you're going to get tired of each other."

"No!" Chakotay exclaimed. "I love it. We're seeing each other in a completely different light. Even the most mundane tasks, such as cooking dinner or even getting ready in the morning, is exciting and new." Kathryn remembered that excitement. She and Mark had lived together for a little while, but they ultimately decided to keep their separate houses until the wedding. The time they'd lived together had been just as exciting and as much of an adjustment as Chakotay made it out to be. "It just takes some getting used to. It's not just me anymore, I have to worry about two other people, make sure their needs are being met as well. It's a little terrifying, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the galaxy." Kathryn put a hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze. Despite all the struggles, she could see in his eyes that she was happy. In all the years they'd known each other, she'd never seen him light up the way he did when he talked about Seven. Anyone with eyes could see that they were in love, and she couldn't be happier for them. If only he could figure out how to strengthen his relationship with Mezoti, then everything would be absolutely perfect.

That evening, Mezoti poured over a stack of books as she took dutiful notes on her PADD when Chakotay entered the kitchen to start cooking dinner. When he saw her at the table, however, he decided to take Kathryn's advice and see if he could bond with her. He stood over her and looked at the books. From what he could tell, the books were several grades ahead of where she was in school right now.

"What are you studying?" he asked.

"Astrophysics," Mezoti replied. "Mama gave me some extra work to supplement my school work so I don't fall behind of where I was when I was being homeschooled." Chakotay knew that Seven was supplementing Mezoti's learning with her own curriculum, but this material was incredibly challenging, not that he expected anything less from her.

"Do you want some help?" Without waiting for an answer, he sat next to her and draped his arm along the back of her chair while peering over her shoulder to get a closer look. She immediately stiffened and kept her eyes locked on her book. It was obvious to him that she was uncomfortable, but he felt the same way, he wasn't used to interacting with her like this. They would both have overcome the discomfort.

"I am capable of studying on my own," she commented with a bit of an attitude. "I don't require any assistance."

"But what if I wanted to help you?" A sigh slipped past her lips before she could stop it. She hadn't meant to be disrespectful, but she really wanted the chance to study on her own. She could hear in Chakotay's voice that he genuinely wanted to help her study, despite the fact that she had a firm grasp of the information on her own.

"If you wanted to, I wouldn't be able to stop you," she relented begrudgingly as she flipped the page of her book and continued to read. She carefully analyze the page and typed notes for Seven to check later on her PADD. This work was far more satisfying than the work she got at school. It challenged her, pushed her mentally and taught her new things. At school, she was held back while the rest of the class caught up to her. At least now her education was being supplemented with something worthwhile. Perhaps she would be be able to skip a few grades when she showed them at school, although she was unsure if that would cause her even more ridicule and teasing, which was the last thing she wanted.

While Chakotay watched on, Mezoti carefully worked through one of the problems. She got halfway through the problem when she stopped. This work might be a little bit too challenging, as she didn't know how to proceed. Her brow knitted together with frustration as she typed furiously on the PADD and attempted to figure things out on her own. Try as she might, she was stuck, she had no idea how to solve this problem.

"Let me see," Chakotay gently prompted. He could see the conflict in her eyes as she was torn between figuring it out on her own and accepting his help. "I may have learned a thing or two about astrophysics during my time in space."

"I don't need help," she insisted as she kept a tight grip on her textbook. She didn't want help, she could handle this on her own. It may take a little while, but she was confident in her mathematical abilities. Chakotay saw the fire in her eyes. Knowing he'd overstayed his welcome, he got to his feet and gave her the space she obviously craved. He would have to try and find another way to get to know Mezoti better and strengthen their relationship. Seven was going to be home soon, and he wanted to at least have dinner started for her.

When Seven walked into the house, she heard the distinct clatter of pots and pans, telling her that Chakotay was already cooking dinner. She loved that he went the extra mile to make dinner from scratch. She knew he could simply replicate a meal and call it a night, but he always cooked something fresh, even after working all day at Headquarters. The amount of dedication that he showed was absolutely amazing to her; he always went above and beyond without a single complaint or asking for anything else in return. It made her feel inadequate as a partner. She'd get home earlier to help with dinner, but her last class for the day ended at 1700 hours, making it nearly impossible unless they wanted to eat much later than they already did, which was impossible given the strict schedule she'd outlined for Mezoti to ensure she got all her homework done and either got n the requisite number of hours either regenerating or sleeping.

In the kitchen, Mezoti poured over her physics work while Chakotay stood at the stove putting the finishing touches on dinner. Seven glanced at Mezoti's work before approaching her boyfriend and putting a hand on the small of his back to let him know that she was there. Spoon in hand, he leaned over and greeted her with a soft kiss. At the kitchen table, Mezoti scowled. She didn't mean to make it look like she was watching them, but she still saw the display of affection.

"How was work?" he asked.

"The same as yesterday, hardly worth noting. How about you?" Chakotay mixed the food on the stove, making sure not to burn it, as then he would have to start over or replicate a meal. It should be done in a few minutes.

"Mezoti, put your books away and set the table," he instructed. Seven grabbed the plates and cups from the cabinet just out of Mezoti's reach and put them on the counter for her to complete the task. Mezoti dutifully gathered up her books and dumped them unceremoniously couch. Seven opened her mouth to scold her for not putting her books away, but ultimately decided against it. She was working on letting things go and not always striving for perfection, no matter how difficult it may be. It was a challenge for her, knowing that those books were strewn across the couch, but it wasn't the end of the world. As long as they didn't stay there for an extended period of time, she would adapt and find a way to deal with it. "Kathryn came by to visit."

"How is the Admiral doing?" With a flick of his wrist, Chakotay turned off the stove. From what he could tell, dinner was about done and ready to be served.

"She's doing fine. She asked about you and Mezoti and wanted to know how things are going with our new living arrangement." Seven produced three glasses and filled them with water.

"What did you say?" she asked out of curiosity. Chakotay glanced at Mezoti, who was silently setting the table. He couldn't exactly talk candidly about his conversation with Kathryn with Mezoti just a few feet away. This was a conversation best saved for the privacy of their bedroom, when he knew Mezoti was down in the basement regenerating, not just a few meters away where she could easily hear every word he said.

"That everything's perfect," he replied. Seven saw the look in his eyes and knew that he was being careful about what he said. They would have to continue this conversation later, when Mezoti wasn't around to overhear what they were saying.

After a delicious dinner of mushroom risotto, Seven and Chakotay cleaned up from dinner while Mezoti retreated to the privacy of her bedroom to continue working on her homework and the work provided to her by Seven. The couple took this opportunity to continue their conversation from earlier. For the time being, this would be the best they were going to get in terms of privacy.

"What did you tell the Admiral?" Seven asked as she washed the dishes. He stood next to her and dried them before putting them away in the appropriate cabinets. They had a dishwasher, but there was something about washing dishes by hand that they both found relaxing. It was also a chance for them to spend a little bit of time together after chaotic days at work.

"That I'm so happy to have you both here, but that I'm struggling," Chakotay confessed with a sigh. The open admission surprised Seven. Despite the fact they both swore to never keep secrets from each other and to always have a completely open relationship, she didn't expect that. He was always such a private person, even with her, sometimes leaving her to guess what was on his mind, no matter how much that annoyed her. Seven stopped washing the dishes and grabbed a towel to dry her hands.

"I was unaware that you were having a difficult time," she admitted. "What can I do to assist you?"

"I don't think there's anything you can do," he replied as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek with the back of his wet hand. "I always thought that I had a good relationship with Mezoti, but she wants nothing to do with me now. I want her to feel comfortable and for her to feel welcome here, but I can't tell if she is because she won't talk to me. I've tried talking to her about her bugs, and I've tried helping her with her schoolwork. She's uncomfortable around me, and I can't figure out why. She wasn't like this on _Voyager_."

"I will discuss her behavior and tell her to rectify the situation." Chakotay sighed. If only it was that easy. Sometimes he couldn't understand how Seven could look at something so analytically. He knew it was her Borg upbringing, but it would be nice if she could act more on her emotions and less on logic and efficiency.

"It's not that easy, sweetheart, you can't tell her to change how she feels." His voice had en edge to it that he didn't intend, but he was starting to feel frustrated with the entire situation. He hadn't even realized how he felt until his discussion with Kathryn earlier, but now that it was out in the open, he couldn't hold it back any longer. There had to be a way to fix this, if only he knew how. He thought he was doing everything ni his power to help Mezoti, but he couldn't force her to like him.

"So how do we proceed?"

"I don't know," Chakotay softly confessed. "I've been trying to figure it out myself. I had no idea this would be a problem, I assumed that things would be just like on _Voyager_. I guess I was wrong."

"Perhaps we should schedule some activities where the three of us spend time together. It might help Mezoti feel more comfortable." He thought over the suggestion. They'd both been so wrapped up in getting settled and on their careers that they'd barely taken the time to spend together as a family, with the exception of eating dinner together that is. It would probably be smart to spend more time together as a trio.

"How about after we finish cleaning up, we watch a movie together?" he offered. "Mezoti's been working hard on her schoolwork." It didn't sound like the most exciting way to bond as a family, but it was the only thing he could think of on such a short notice. Later on he would have to do some research and see if there were other ways bond as a family. The notion of doing research nearly made Chakotay laugh out loud; clearly Seven was rubbing off on him, doing research like that was something she would do.

"Are you sure she won't fall behind in her studies?" Although this had been her idea, she couldn't help but sound skeptical, as a movie was an activity that would take several hours. School had to take a priority over everything else, it was the only way to ensure a successful future for her.

"It'll be fine," Chakotay assured. "Unless you don't want to spend an evening together…" The very notion caused her gaze to harden. Of course she wanted to spend an evening together. While sitting around and watching a movie together may not seem like the most efficient use of time, it was in the best interest of their makeshift family to spend their time accordingly.

"I think that that would be a smart use of time," she relented. "If you don't mind finishing the dishes, I will tell Mezoti." He looked at the two forks and plate that had yet to be washed and put away.

"It might take me a while, but I think I can manage," he teased. She smiled and kissed him softly.

"Maybe after the movie, you and I can spend some quality time together," she suggested as she trailed her fingertip along his jaw. "If you're not too busy," she added quickly as an afterthought. Watching a movie together would undoubtedly take up a large part of his evening, and she wasn't sure if he had work to complete afterwards.

"I think I can squeeze you in," he murmured before pressing his lips against hers. Seven immediately gripped the front of his shirt tightly and returned the passionate affection. One of his hands slid along her back to the swell of her backside, which he pinched playfully, causing her to gasp in surprise. She broke off the kiss.

"Later," she assured before pecking him lightly on the lips. "You need to finish the dishes, and I need to go tell Mezoti about our plans for the evening."

"I can't wait for later."

"I look forward to it as well." With her promise for some quality time later one hanging in the air, Seven went upstairs to talk to Mezoti, leaving Chakotay to finish cleaning up from dinner. Tonight was definitely taking an unexpected turn, in more ways than one.

In her room, Mezoti stretched out across her bed on her stomach with her book open in front of her and her PADD in her hand. She had just finished the work her mother assigned to her and was starting her regular homework, which would undoubtedly take a fraction of the time. The sound of the bedroom door opening caught her attention. Seven entered her room without bothering to knock, which drove Mezoti crazy. If she insisted that she knock before entering her and Chakotay's bedroom, then the least she could do was return the favor.

"Chakotay and I have altered our plans for the evening," Seven announced. "The three of us are going to spend time together watching a movie." Normally Mezoti would be glad for a break from her studies and for the opportunity to spend time with her mom, but she didn't want to spend time with Chakotay as well. He kept trying to be friends with her, but that's not what she wanted.

"I have work to do," she argued.

"Your work is irrelevant. Our plan for the evening is to spend time together. The movie will commence in approximately fifteen minutes, and you are required to be there." Seven's tone was final, telling Mezoti that any arguments she had would fall on deaf ears. It would be best if she just complied and got this over with.

"Fine," she relented begrudgingly with a roll of her eyes. Right now, she wasn't sure what was worse, those awful physics problems her mother assigned to her or being forced against her will to watch a movie with her mom and Chakotay. Regardless of which one was worse, she didn't have much say in the matter and had to participate in this unschedule socialization and makeshift family bonding.

When Mezoti finally came downstairs, the only light in the living room came from the screen mounted above the fireplace where a movie waited for her arrival. A large bowl of popcorn sat on the coffee table for anyone to help themselves to. It certainly looked tempting, but Mezoti ignored it as she flung herself down on the plush armchair. Chakotay and her mother certainly had gone above and beyond with this one. Mezoti laid draped across the piece of furniture with her head resting against one arm of the chair and her legs dangling over the other arm. Her face spoke volumes, telling the couple that she'd rather be just about anywhere else but here.

On the couch, Chakotay draped his arm along the back of the couch behind Seven, who rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist comfortably as if they did this every night. They looked like the picture perfect couple. Chakotay glanced over at Mezoti. He'd been hoping that she would join them on the couch, but he understood why she sat where she did. The entire purpose of this endeavor was to help her get more comfortable, something that would take time. She wouldn't come down and join them on the couch right away. He had to look at it positively; at least she'd come downstairs, although he had a feeling that Seven didn't leave that up to her. Still, she was here, and that was all that mattered to him; it was a step in the right direction.

"Computer, start movie," he instructed. The computer in the screen beeped as it complied, and the movie started.

Seven usually found movies and other such forms of entertainment a waste of time, especially when there were more important tasks that needed to be completed. There was something about spending this time with Chakotay and Mezoti that she found pleasant though. The two most important people in her life were right here with her, and they appeared to be having an enjoyable evening, or as enjoyable as can be expected given their current family dynamics. It was her hope that, with time, things would become more comfortable between them. Like Chakotay, Seven could tell that Mezoti wasn't exactly thrilled with the change in plans for the evening. It was obvious in the way she halfheartedly looked at the computer screen with her arms crossed over her chest and her abject refusal to even glance at the couple, the people who dragged her away from her studies and forced her to spend time down here with them. She would adapt, she always did. It was important to Seven that the three of them bonded as a new family unit, it was the only way for them to all live comfortably together with minimal conflicts.

Chakotay absentmindedly drew small circles on Seven's arm as he kept his arm wrapped around her and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Despite the fact that Mezoti didn't seem to be having fun, he thought that it was a wonderful way to spend the evening. With everything going on since Seven and Mezoti arrived as they struggled to make things work, this was like a breath of fresh air to them both. They should spend time like this more often. Perhaps if they took time out of their busy days a few times a week to do this or other family-oriented activities, then Mezoti would start to feel more comfortable around here and even open up more.

The movie ended, causing both Seven and Chakotay to shift in their seats. She sat up properly, and he trailed his fingers along her spine as he leaned forward and tossed a piece of popcorn in his mouth from the half-empty bowl that Mezoti hadn't even acknowledged.

"What did you think?" he asked Seven in reference to the movie.

"I thought it was entertaining," she replied. "Although the portrayal of the villain was highly erratic and unrealistic."

"It's a family movie, Seven. It's not meant to be realistic, it's meant to be fun." He leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.

"Apparently Mezoti did not find the movie fun either." Chakotay glanced over his shoulder and saw Mezoti fast asleep. One of her arms dangled over the side of the chair. It didn't look like a very comfortable position, but apparently it was sufficient for her to fall asleep. "We should wake her so she can move to her bedroom," Seven announced as she got to her feet.

"No, don't wake her," Chakotay insisted as he stood up as well. "I'll carry her to bed."

"That is unnecessary. Mezoti isn't incapacitated, she is capable of going up to bed on her own." He saw this as an opportunity to show that he cared about the child, even though she was fast asleep and completely oblivious to the act of kindness.

"It's fine." Without giving Seven a chance to argue further, he picked Mezoti up under the arms. Her head flopped back as he lifted her up. With surprising skill, he lifted her up. One arm supported her as her legs dangled pathetically on either side of him. Oblivious to who was holding her, Mezoti instinctively wrapped her scrawny arms around his neck to keep from falling, and she rested her cheek against his shoulder. Chakotay gently jostled her as he adjusted her so she didn't fall, an act he hoped wouldn't wake her. She twitched slightly, mumbling incoherently under her breath, causing him to freeze until he was sure that she would remain asleep.

"Chakotay, this is unnecessary," Seven continued to argue.

"She's asleep, and I don't want to wake her. It's fine, it's not like this is a daily occurrence." She pursed her lips in frustration and kept her comments to herself. If he wanted to carry Mezoti up to bed, then he could, despite her obvious protests.

Chakotay was surprised at how heavy Mezoti was. She was such a tiny girl, but the remaining Borg implants made her heavier than she appeared. He didn't mind though, it was only upstairs to her bedroom; he'd carried far heavier loads far greater distances numerous times in the past. The stairs did prove to be a bit of a challenge, as the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally drop her or fall down the stairs himself. He kept his one arm firmly underneath her, forming a makeshift seat to support her, while his other hand rested across her back, holding her in place. Seven followed after Chakotay, ready at any moment to jump in if something went wrong and he needed help. She could see in the slow, methodical way he mounted the stairs that he was struggling slightly, but he didn't dare complain. Instead, he continued carrying Mezoti, acting as if she weighed only a few kilos.

Thankfully, Mezoti's bed was unmade, which made Chakotay's life easier since he didn't have to figure out how to turn down the covers while making sure he didn't wake Mezoti. He carefully laid her down on the bed and covered her with the quilt. As soon as she was laid out on her bed, Mezoti rolled onto her side, her hand curled into a fist next to her face, and her mousey brown hair spilling across the blue quilt.

"She needs to change into her pajamas," Seven pointed out.

"One night of sleeping in her clothes won't kill her. Plus that'll require waking her. Let her sleep, Seven. She's had a long day." She looked at Mezoti and knew he was right. She looked so peaceful; she couldn't bring herself to wake her, especially since it might be difficult for her to fall back asleep.

"Very well." Chakotay smoothed the quilt down and stood up properly. "Thank you for your assistance." They walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. He took her hand, lacing their fingers together in the process as they retreated to their bedroom for the night.

Chakotay shed his uniform, tossing the dirty clothes in the hamper and crawling into bed wearing his undershirt and boxers. After getting ready for bed herself, Seven slid under the blankets and rested her head on his chest. They wrapped their arms around each other, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Do you think tonight was a success?" she asked as she stared at the shadows playing on the wall on the other side of the room. She'd been hopeful that tonight would be a success, but it was difficult to tell given the fact that Mezoti fell asleep during the movie.

"I don't know. I'd like to think it was, but I can't be sure. I think that we should do this more often. If anything, it'll give us a chance to spend more time together." Chakotay stared up the ceiling and replayed the events of the evening over in his mind. Like Seven, he'd hoped for a more engaging evening, but he also felt that it was a step in the right direction. She looked up at him.

"Are you implying that we don't spend enough time together?" He ran his fingers through her hair, twirling a strand around his finger in the process. Her optical implant caught the light for a second, the metal glittering slightly.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. There was a slight edge to Seven's voice, and he knew he was treading on thin ice; he had to proceed with caution so she didn't get upset with him. "I am saying that I had a great time this evening and that we should do things like this more often." Not only did Chakotay think that more evenings like this would be beneficial to his fledgling relationship with Mezoti, but he also thought that it would help his relationship with Seven, to ensure they didn't get caught in a rut of sorts.

"I don't think watching movies that often will be an efficient use of time."

"So we'll find other ways to spend time together the three of us. As long as I'm with the two of you, I'm fine with whatever we have planned." Seven propped herself up on one elbow and cupped his cheek in her hand. He ran his fingertips along her spine lightly.

"It is important to you to bond with Mezoti," she observed.

"Yeah, it is. You're both a part of my life now, and I want to do everything I can to make you both comfortable, because I hope that this is a permanent living arrangement." She kissed him softly.

"That's my desire as well." He smiled. At least they were both on the same page. With any luck, more evenings like tonight would help strengthen the relationship amongst the trio. Seven laid back down, curled up against Chakotay's solid form as she listened to the steady beating of his heart, which she found oddly soothing as sleep slowly claimed both of them.

It was the middle of the night. Mezoti's eyes fluttered open, and she looked around with a confused look on her face. The last thing she remembered was watching that stupid movie downstairs, and now, here she was, fully dressed in bed. She rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but she felt wide awake, just like when she finished a regeneration cycle. Sighing, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, willing sleep to claim her again. It didn't work. If anything, she felt more awake. Perhaps if she went to her mom's room, she would be able to fall asleep. Mezoti climbed out of bed and crept down the halls. Shadows stretched across the floor, giving the house an eerie appearance as she trailed her fingers across the wall down to the master bedroom at the end of the hall. The only noise came from her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floor, causing her to feel nervous, although she wasn't doing anything wrong.

As quietly as possible, Mezoti pushed open the master bedroom door. In the dim light, she could just barely make out Chakotay and Seven's sleeping forms on the bed. From what she could see, he was asleep on his back while she used his chest as a pillow and draped her leg across his legs. Without bothering to ask for permission, Mezoti crawled into bed next to Seven and pulled the blankets up around her. The mattress shifting was enough to wake Seven up. Confused, she rolled over, nearly running into Mezoti in the process.

"Mezoti," she blurted out softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't sleep," Mezoti replied in a small, innocent voice. She looked up at her mother with her large, brown eyes, making it nearly impossible for Seven to turn her down. "Can I sleep here with you?"

"This is starting to become a habit."

"Just for tonight, Mama. I can't sleep." As much as she wanted to say no, Seven found that she couldn't. A good night's sleep was crucial, and as long as this didn't become a nightly occurrence, she didn't see the problem with this.

"Fine." Mezoti smiled as she cuddled up against her mother and closed her eyes. While she'd previously felt wide awake and unable to sleep, once she was here, sleep quickly claimed her. There was something about being close to her mother that made her feel comforted. They'd always regenerated together on _Voyager_ and then shared a small apartment together. Now, they were in this lavish house whose rooms were on opposite ends. Yes, they weren't very far apart, but Mezoti liked feeling closer to her as often as possible.

 **Author's Note:** I'm not entirely sure about 24th century movies, so please forgive me for the little bit of creative license. This story is turning into a beast. It's going to be about 35 chapters, so we have quite a bit to go. My goal is to finish with the rough draft next week, and I hope you enjoy it. Make sure to leave a review.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Despite the late hour, the Pathfinder lab buzzed with excitement and activity. As soon as Seven entered the lab, however, all activity seemed to screech to a stop as everyone stared at her. Accustomed to the staring, she held her head high and ignored them. Tom immediately abandoned his work and greeted her.

"Hey, Seven, glad you could make it."

"You act as if I had a previous engagement," Seven commented. Used to her comments, he ignored her as he draped an arm around her shoulders and steered her in the direction of a group of unfamiliar Starfleet officers.

"My dad just stepped out, he's really the boss around here, but I can introduce you to some other officers." About half a dozen officers were gathered around a collection of computer consoles pretending to do work but in actuality they were simply pretending to work so they didn't get caught staring. Everyone knew Seven was coming, but very few of them had actually seen her in person, adding to the mystery surrounding the famed former Borg. As soon as Tom and Seven approached them, however, they all looked up from work at the same time, as if they planned it. "Hey guys, this is Seven. If you want an expert on transwarp technology, there's no better person in the quadrant. She normally teaches at the Academy, but she'll be joining us once a week."

"Nice to meet you again," Reg gushed as he elbowed his way to the front of the group and thrust out his hand. "We met at several _Voyager_ events when you got back to the Alpha Quadrant. I'm-"

"Lieutenant Reginald Barclay, member of the original Pathfinder team, former crewman on the _Enterprise_ before being transferred to the Jupiter Station," Seven rattled off. Unaccustomed to her behavior, Reg took a step back and looked to Tom for some sort of guidance.

"This is Merkata, Hodges, Etan, Jakeline and Quinn." As he said each name, Tom pointed to each member of the team. Already, Seven had committed their names to memory.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. I hope I can be of some assistance with your endeavor to achieve transwarp drive."

"If you're half as good as Tom and Harry have said, we'll be in good shape," Hodges said. In his mid-thirties, he was a human with blue eyes and dark brown, almost black hair. Unaccustomed to such compliments from strangers, who usually just avoided her, Seven shifted uncomfortably back and forth.

Thankfully, further awkward conversation was cut off when the door to the lab slid inside, and Admiral Paris breezed inside like he owned the place. Due to her close proximity to him, Seven immediately noticed a shift in Tom's demeanor. As soon as the Admiral laid eyes on Seven, he made a beeline for her.

"Seven of Nine, thank you for helping us," he said as he extended his hand for her to shake, which she did despite the fact that it was a human custom she saw as pointless. Sensing his father wanted to fill Seven in on what was going on, Tom returned to his work with Harry and B'Elanna on the other side of the lab.

"Thank you for the invitation." She reached into the black bag slung over her shoulder and produced a handful of PADDs. "I have already made several modifications to the work done here. I hope you will find them most useful." Caught off guard, Admiral Paris collected the PADDs in his arms and stammered, unsure how to react.

"I, uhhh, I thought that today you would simply shadow Tom or Harry to see what we've done." Seven's brows knit together in confusion.

"That would be an inefficient use of time. I am here to work and ready to do so immediately. If you don't mind, I would like to begin."

"Oh, of course. Please follow me." With his free hand, he motioned towards a nearby computer console so he could fill her in on what they've accomplished, although he felt that she was already well aware of what was going on here if she'd made several adjustments to their work already.

Across the lab, Tom dipped his head down and attempted to hide the fact that he was laughing at his father. Given the fact that they were standing right next to him, both Harry and B'Elanna saw his amused snickers, no matter how hard he tried to hide them.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"This is going to be great. I can't believe my dad actually asked Seven to join Pathfinder." It went against everything Tom thought about his father, given his disdain for Borg. Seven's behavior was made worse by the fact that she wasn't even an official member of Starfleet and had no rank, yet she was already acting like she owned the place.

"When it comes to transwarp technology, there's no better expert than Seven," Harry pointed out matter-of-factly.

"That doesn't stop the fact that my dad can't stand her. He refers to her as 'that drone.' Janeway snapped at him one time, telling him that she was a name. It was hilarious." Feeling bold, Harry glanced over his shoulder. He could see the mounting frustration in the Admiral's face as he tried to explain to Seven what they did around here. She ignored him, already accessing a computer and getting to work so she could use the limited time she was here efficiently. Clearly, her arrival here was destined to make life much more interesting. With any luck, she'd help them with their work, putting them in the history books once again when they safely implemented transwarp technology on Federation starships.

With his feet kicked up casually on the coffee table, Chakotay read his book. Since Seven was at Pathfinder for the evening, he wasn't overly concerned about preparing dinner for tonight and having it ready right when she walked in the door. He'd given Mezoti a snack when she got home to tide her over until he got around to cooking something. In the meantime, he tried to focus on his book, but his mind kept wandering back to Mezoti, who was upstairs doing her homework. Despite his and Seven's attempts at planning family-oriented activities, Mezoti was still quite distant and uncomfortable around him. It dawned on Chakotay that this evening without Seven would be the perfect opportunity to try and bond with Mezoti more. Since it was just the two of them, there seemed like no better time since she wouldn't have her mother to rely on. In a way, she'd have to engage him in conversation. It seemed like an underhanded trick, but Chakotay was running out of ideas. He put his book to the side and headed upstairs to find her.

At her desk, Mezoti poured over her books. She'd finished her regular homework an hour ago and had since moved on to the work Seven assigned her to supplement her learning. Thanks to the fact that her mother was working late, she had more time to get her work done. A knock on the half open door interrupted her studying. Since the only other person home at the time was Chakotay, she knew it had to be him without looking up from her work.

"I came to see what you wanted for dinner," he explained as he leaned against the doorway.

"It doesn't matter," she replied indifferently, still keeping her eyes locked on her schoolwork. "Whatever you prepare will be sufficient."

"That's not what I asked. I want to know what you want for dinner, and if you don't tell me, you'll have to make dinner yourself."

"I can use the replicator to make dinner for myself if you don't want to cook."

"You can't use the replicator if I turn it off. Then you'll have to cook on your own." Eyes narrowed, Mezoti spun around to face Chakotay. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, but it wasn't something she could risk. She didn't know how to cook on her own, so if he did turn off the replicator, she wouldn't have dinner for the night. He wouldn't go so far as to deprive her dinner for the night...would he?

"Mama replicated stir-fry for me once. It was an enjoyable meal." Chakotay had made stir-fry in the past, and it wasn't very difficult. He figured that he would be able to make it for the two of them without too many issues.

"Okay, stir-fry it is. Let's go." He tilted his head to the side, indicating that Mezoti was to join him. "We have to get started if you want to eat before it gets too late." Tonight was full of surprises for her. Now she was expected to help him make dinner as well? It was bad enough that he had interrupted her studies to ask her something as trivial as what she wanted for dinner, and now he expected her to stop doing her homework and help him cook it.

"I have homework to complete," she argued. In a few quick strides, he crossed the room and looked over her work. She'd gotten a lot of work done and undoubtedly deserved a break. He always thought Seven made her work too hard; children needed time to play and just be kids. With Seven gone for the evening, he would ensure she had some fun.

"So finish it after dinner."

"Mama will be disappointed if I don't complete this work."

"I'll talk to her." Without warning, Chakotay grabbed the book.

Mezoti scrambled to grab her book and exclaimed, "What are you doing?" It was the loudest he had heard her speak to him since she got here. If anything it told him that she was comfortable enough to confront him when he frustrated her. For that reason, he ignored the disrespect. Besides, unlike Seven, he understood that children weren't always perfect and would sometimes act erratically.

"You're coming downstairs and helping me cook dinner. Now, let's go." His voice was firm, telling her that she couldn't argue with him. Grumbling under her breath, Mezoti shoved herself back from her desk and got to her feet. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could go back to work.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Chakotay pulled a chair from the kitchen table up to the counter and picked Mezoti up. With the help of the chair, she was now at eye-level with him. He could see the frustration in her eyes, but he ignored it. He had the best intentions here, and she would realize it soon enough. Once Mezoti was in place, he replicated a large bowl of vegetables. On his way back to the counter, he grabbed two knives out of the drawer.

"Okay, you're going to help me cut the vegetables," he announced as he put the bowl of vegetables down in front of them.

"Are you sure it's wise allowing me to cut the vegetables?" Mezoti asked skeptically as she searched for a way to get out of here and go back upstairs while Chakotay prepared the meal.

"I'll be right here watching you," he assured as he handed over a pepper and the smaller of the two knives. "Now, you want to cut the pepper into medium sized strips. Watch." To demonstrate, he took out another bell pepper With grace and expertise, Chakotay sliced the pepper in half, scooped out the seeds and proceeded to slice it into slices. All his slices were uniform in size as he effortlessly cut the pepper. Once he was done, he used the knife to slide the strips into an empty bowl. "Just like that, okay?" Mezoti felt nervous as she started to slice the other half of the pepper. Unlike Chakotay, this didn't come naturally to her. After each slice, she took several moments to mentally gauge the size of the next one before cutting it. She was so focused on making sure the slices were the same width that she didn't even notice that the knife was getting dangerously close to her fingers. Thankfully, Chakotay was keeping an eye on her. "Whoa, be careful." He stood behind her and put his large hands over hers. "Slide your hands back. If you cut off your fingers, your mother will kill me." As he spoke, he gently guided her through the rest of the process.

"This is highly inefficient," Mezoti complained once they were done. "Why didn't you replicate the vegetables already sliced?"

"Because you have to work for your food sometimes," Chakotay explained as he released Mezoti's hands and went back to standing next to her. "Besides, this isn't exactly a difficult task." While she handled the pepper, he took care of the onion, which was far more difficult to chop, along with far more uncomfortable. Perhaps one day she'd be able to achieve chopping an onion, but, for the time being, it was his job.

While at first, she found helping to prepare dinner a waste of time, Mezoti soon found that she was enjoying herself. Most nights, she took dinner for granted; she never to the time to appreciate just how much effort Chakotay or sometimes her mother put into each meal, although since he was the one who was home earlier, he was usually the one who handled the general food preparation in the evening. After a long day at work, most people would simply replicate a meal, but he took the time to prepare a meal from scratch every single evening, alone and without complaint. Now that she saw how much time that took, she almost felt bad for him. It couldn't be easy to put forth all this effort every day.

Just like Chakotay showed her, Mezoti cut the asparagus he gave her into pieces that were roughly two and a half centimeters long while he took on the more challenging task of cutting up the mushrooms. Easy going jazz floated through the air as they both concentrated on their jobs, although the silence was starting to become a little too much for Mezoti to bear.

"May I ask a question?" she finally blurted out, breaking off the silence.

"Of course," Chakotay replied. Although he didn't say it, he welcomed any questions she had. He took it as a sign that she was starting to become more comfortable around him, which was his ultimate goal.

"Why don't you eat meat?" As he dumped a handful of mushrooms in the bowl that held the rest of the cut up vegetables, Chakotay thought of the answer. He'd actually never been asked when he didn't eat meat; whenever he told people he was a vegetarian, they simply accepted it as a part of his personality.

"My people have always respected nature, which includes animals," he explained.

"But they still ate meat?" He nodded. He thought back to all the times as a child his father had dragged him out to go deer hunting, a task that he always loathed.

"The notion of killing another living creature for nourishment felt wrong, especially when we could get the same nutrients from fruits and vegetables. I was a little older than you when I stopped eating meat."

"And you don't miss it?" He shook his head. "And your mama and papa didn't mind?"

"Oh, my dad wasn't happy about it. He would insist I go hunting with him, and I hated every minute of it. I used to get nightmares afterwards, reliving every horrible minute. Eventually, he got used to it, but meat was still served in our house. I often had to make my own food."

"Is that why you like to cook?"

"I guess it is." He finished cutting up the mushrooms, which were the last of the vegetables they needed to prepare. "Okay, hop down and drag the chair over to the stove," he directed as he grabbed the bowl of vegetables. Taking his directions literally, Mezoti jumped down from her chair. The moment her feet hit the ceramic tile floor, the house momentarily trembled under the sudden addition of weight. She dragged the chair across the small section of floor that separated the island and the stove before climbing back up again.

At the stove, Mezoti stood a little further back so she didn't get burned. Chakotay carefully measured out the seasonings and sauces, which she dumped over the vegetables in the large pan. What impressed her the most was the fact that he knew exactly how much to add without referring to any sort of guide.

"Do you miss being in space?" she asked out of the blue. It was another question that caught him off guard. Unlike her first question, this wasn't one that had an easy answer. He wasn't sure how to answer, because it was complicated. He knew he needed to answer though, because this was the first real conversation he'd had with Mezoti since her arrival here, and he didn't want it to end and for things to go back to how they had been previously.

"That's a difficult question to answer."

"Why?" Mezoti asked innocently. "A simple yes or no would suffice."

"Well, it's complicated because I do miss space. I miss the adventure and discovering new things. I'm a scientist after all." He grabbed a spoon and stirred the vegetables, making sure they were evenly coated by the sauce and spices Mezoti had just added. "But on the other hand, I'm glad to be here because that means I'm with you and your mom, and I care about you both very much, so I'm fine with being here on Earth, because it means I get to be with you both." He handed her the spoon, indicating that it was her turn to mix the vegetables. "How about you? Do you miss space?"

"I want to go back every day." The words slipped out before Mezoti could stop them. She instantly realized that they made her sound insensitive to all the kindness Chakotay had extended to her over the past two weeks since she'd arrived here.

"Why?"

"It's nothing," she muttered under her breath, but he was undeterred. They'd finally started making a connection, and he wasn't about to let it go. Plus, he genuinely did care about her and wanted to know if something was bothering her. He knew he wouldn't be able to send her back into space, but he might be able to help her if she was struggling with something.

"Obviously it isn't, or else you wouldn't have brought it up." He paused. "You can tell me anything, Mezoti."

"It's nothing, okay?" she exclaimed. She jumped down off the chair and shoved past Chakotay. With her hair flying behind her, she ran upstairs. He could hear her feet pounding against the stairs, quickly followed by the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut.

"Mezoti!" he called, but it did no good. She was gone.

Unsure what to do, Chakotay stood frozen in the kitchen for several moments before he realized that he should head upstairs after her. There was no way he could let her storm off like that without going to check on her; it would give her the impression that he didn't care about her or the problems she had in her life. Abandoning the food on the stove, Chakotay went after her. He mounted the steps and quietly pushed open the bedroom door.

"Mezoti?" he asked as gently as possible. When he peeked his head inside, he saw the child flung across her bed with her pillow clutched to her chest and her back to the door.

"Go away," she snapped.

"You know I can't do that." He entered the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Not sure what to do, he looked at his hands folded in his lap while he tried to think of what to say. "Now, why don't you tell me what that was about. I thought we were having a good time."

"There's nothing to say. I found preparing dinner like that an inefficient use of time. I have to study." Chakotay thought about pointing out the fact that she was moping, not studying, but ultimately decided against it so he didn't make matter worse.

"Then why are you crying?" With fire in her eyes, Mezoti rolled over. Sure enough, tears streaked her cheeks. She had no idea how he could tell she was crying when he couldn't even see her properly.

"It's from the raw onion." His firm expression told her that he wasn't buying her story.

"Mezoti…"

"Fine, I don't have any friends, okay?" she blurted out as she sat up on her bed. "Nobody at school wants to talk to me, and I hate it, I hate it so much. Why couldn't we have stayed on _Voyager_? Everyone was so happy there."

" _Voyager_ 's a starship, not a home. We all have families here in the Alpha Quadrant, people who loved us and missed us. I know this has been difficult for you, but you'll make friends. Everyone at school will realize how smart you are and how sweet you are, and then you'll have more friends than you'll know what to do with. I know it's hard right now, but you have to be strong. You've already been through more than most adults have been through, and you've come out a better person. Everyone wants friends, and you're going to make them. You just haven't found the right people yet. Once you do, you'll have a best friend for life." Unable to help himself, Chakotay reached out and trucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Determined to look unfazed by his touch, Mezoti kept her expression firm.

"So I am to simply wait?" The notion wasn't appealing to her at all. Every day, she went to school and saw children playing together, and that was something she wanted to enjoy as well. She missed playing with Naomi and the twins, she missed the socialization that came with having friends. She wanted to run and play with children her own age, just like she used to. Chakotay didn't know what to say. He didn't want tell her yes, but that might be what needs to happen. He was at a loss as to what to do with this situation. He couldn't magically summon friends for her, and he couldn't send her back into space where she apparently thought all her problems would be solved. There was nothing he could do.

Thankfully, Chakotay was saved at the last possible minute by the smoke alarm going off. The loud noise blared through the house, starting in the kitchen and slowly working its way upstairs to where he and Mezoti were talking, making it nearly impossible for them to have a conversation.

"Oh shit," Chakotay muttered under his breath as he scrambled to his feet. He'd forgotten the fact that he left the food on high downstairs. He bolted down the steps two at a time, rounded the corner and dashed into the kitchen. The food wasn't on fire, but it was definitely burning on the stove where he left it. He grabbed a towel to protect his hand from the shearing heat, snatched the food off the stove and dumped it into the stove before turning on the water. "Damn it," he muttered when he saw that the food and all their hard work was completely ruined.

"I'm sorry," Mezoti announced from where she stood at the top of the steps leading up from the living room. His gaze softened as he turned to face her. She looked distraught, as if she put all the blame squarely on her shoulders for the mishap.

"It's fine," he assured as he flicked off the water. "You know what, after all that hard work we did, I think we've earned ice cream."

"But we haven't had dinner yet." Chakotay crossed the kitchen and replicated two ice cream sundaes, piled high with hot fudge, whipped cream and even sprinkles. No detail was overlooked.

"Okay, I guess I'll be eating this ice cream all by myself," he reasoned as he sat down and took a large bite of his sundae. "Wow, this is good, probably the best dinner I've had in weeks." Mezoti looked skeptical. For a moment, she actually thought it was a trick, that as soon as she took a bite of the sundae designated for her, he'd reprimand her for eating ice cream for dinner.

"This is hardly a nutritious meal," she pointed out.

"But it's delicious." He pushed the untouched bowl of ice cream closer to Mezoti. He could see in her eyes that she wanted the sundae, but her resolve to follow the rules prevented her from giving in completely. "You won't get in trouble, Mezoti." She looked in his eyes and could tell that he was telling the truth. She finally caved and sat down across from him. He may be a starship captain, but he wasn't the type of person to trick her into eating ice cream for dinner just so he could get her in trouble.

The second Mezoti took a bite of the sundae, she knew she had made the right decision. The cold ice cream was perfectly complimented by the warm hot fudge. The sprinkles added the slightest hint of a crunch as she slowly chewed and swallowed. Smiling, she dug into the delicious, frozen confection. It felt strange eating ice cream for dinner, especially given the fact that her mother usually strictly reserved it as a treat for special occasions, but it was a wonderful treat. As much as she had been looking forward to having stir-fry for dinner and as terrible as she felt for ruining their carefully prepared meal, she was glad to be having ice cream for dinner. After her long day at school, it was the perfect meal.

It only took Mezoti a few minutes to finish the entire sundae. Hot fudge and the remnant of vanilla ice cream smeared across her face, which Chakotay took as a sign that she enjoyed the impromptu meal. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself. This wasn't how he saw his evening going, but, somehow, he'd managed to follow his instincts and find a solution that also helped him to hopefully forge a closer bond with Mezoti.

"You made a mess," Chakotay pointed out with a laugh as he grabbed a napkin and handed it to her, which she used to wipe her mouth. "Did you like it?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Mezoti, you don't have to call me sir. You can just call me Chakotay." She knew that, he'd told her that as soon as she moved in here, but it still felt strange. She'd spent a year and a half referring to him as "Commander" and "Sir". She wondered if her mom felt the same way. Now, she never heard her mother call him anything but his first name, and she wondered if that had been a difficult adjustment for her to make.

"Okay, Chakotay. The ice cream was very good, but I was looking forward the stir-fry for dinner." Chakotay took a bite of his sundae. He had been looking forward to it as well.

"How about tomorrow we try making it again? And this time, I'll keep a better eye on it so we don't burn it." She smiled as she thought of the offer. Now that she knew how to properly cut the vegetables, she fet confident that she would be able to do it in a more efficient manner, which would help cut down on the meal preparation time.

"Okay." By making it tomorrow, Seven would be able to enjoy the meal as well. Mezoti would also be able to show off her cooking skills, no matter how rudimentary they were. "I liked learning to cook with you, it was fun."

"I'm glad, because I liked the company. You can always help me cook, I'd be glad for an extra pair of hands in the kitchen." Mezoti twirled the handle of her spoon between her fingers as she looked at the last remnants of ice cream smeared across the bottom of the bowl. There was nothing left to eat, but that didn't stop her from scraping her spoon along the bottom, just to be certain.

"Can you teach me how to do something else?"

"Of course."

"Can you teach me how to box?" The request caught Chakotay by surprise. Of all the things she could ask him, he never thought that she would ask him to teach her how to box. As far as he knew, she never showed any interest in boxing. He thought about the request. Seven would undoubtedly find that it was an unwise activity for a nine year old girl to participate in. On the other hand, it was important to him that he continue bonding with Mezoti, which he feared wouldn't happen if he said no to her. It left him feeling torn, but ultimately, he came to a decision; Seven didn't need to know about this, what's the worst that could happen? Mezoti would learn to take a few swings at a punching bag, which was physical activity, something that Seven thought was important.

"Fine, but on one condition." Her eyes immediately lit up as she nodded eagerly. In all honesty, she thought that he would say no, that it was too dangerous and unbecoming of little girls; at least that's what her mother would say. "Do _not_ tell your mother." At first, Mezoti thought that she should take back her request. She'd never kept a secret from her mom before, and it made her feel that she'd asked to learn how to do something she shouldn't. On the other hand, there was a certain excitement in learning how to box, to do something her mother wouldn't approve of. If it truly was dangerous or particularly egregious, she was confident that Chakotay would have said no. Given the fact that he didn't, it wouldn't be all that bad.

"Okay," she promised. "When can we start?" Chakotay took one last bite of his ice cream.

"Right now." They still had quite a bit of time before Seven got home for the evening. He got to is feet and headed downstairs with Mezoti hot on his heels. She never expected him to say yes, and she was determined to get the most out of this before he changed his mind and realized that this was a terrible idea.

Normally Chakotay changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt when he boxed, but since he was just teaching Mezoti, he figured that that would be a waste of time. Besides, he wasn't going to get all sweaty teaching her how to throw a few punches. He hoped that this was a good idea. He could think of a number of reasons as to why he should say no to this, but he wanted nothing more than to strengthen his relationship with Mezoti. As long as he wasn't entering her in any prized fights or anything like that, he really didn't see what the big deal was. Nonetheless, he knew Seven would disapprove, so he didn't want to tell her, not yet at least. It was the first big secret in their relationship, which startled him. They always promised each other that there would be no secrets, that they'd be completely open with each other. Tom teased them about it, saying that it was impossible to have zero secrets in a relationship. Chakotay didn't intend to keep secrets from Seven, he just didn't know how to broach the subject. For that reason, he decided against telling her, just for right now.

Downstairs, Chakotay grabbed the roll of tape he used to wrap his hands. He figured that Mezoti would be fine without gloves, it wasn't like she could punch very hard anyway, and a small pair of gloves lying around might cause Seven to grow suspicious. He still wanted to wrap her hands, just to play it safe.

"Now, the first rule of boxing is that you never use it against other people," he explained as he knelt down in front of her. Mezoti bounced up and down excitedly as he took her hands in his and began to wrap them. Her hands were so small when compared to his, they nearly disappeared in his grip.

"But I thought the point of boxing was to fight other people," she commented.

"No, the purpose of boxing is control. You always have to have self-control, no matter what's going on in the ring. You have to know when to throw a punch and when to wait, no matter how difficult it may seem. Your instincts are going to tell you to punch no matter what, it's a matter of self-preservation, but you can't do that. You have to have patience." He finished wrapping one of her hands and moved on to the other one. "Do you want to take a guess as to what the second rule of boxing is?"

"Hit them as hard as you can?" He chuckled.

"No, but good guess." He finished wrapping her second hand and stood up. "Never take your eyes off your enemy." She nodded, committing the rules to memory. "Now, make a fist." Mezoti complied, tucking her her thumb under her fingers and making a tight fist. Beaming with pride, she held up her fist for him to inspect.

"Like this?" she asked, obviously proud of her work.

"No, if you punch something like that, you can break your thumb." He took her hand and changed it so her thumb ran along the side of her fist. "Always make a fist like this, okay?"

"Is that the third rule of boxing?"

"No, the third rule of boxing is always know your target before you hit it." He crouched down just within arm's reach and held up his hands with his palms facing her. "Now, punch my hand." Wide-eyed, Mezoti drew her hand back, reading to throw a punch. Her hand shot forward, but she stopped herself before she could hit him. Her hand flopped at her side pathetically. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to hurt you," she admitted softly. Chakotay couldn't help but laugh. The thought of Mezoti, with her spindly arms and delicate frame, doing any sort of damage seemed completely ludicrous to him.

"You won't."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I've been doing this for a long time, and I've been hit by many people. I can handle a few punches from you."

"You'll let me know if I hit you too hard, promise?" Her brown eyes were wide with apprehension and concern for his wellbeing.

"I promise." Feeling confident that Chakotay would be able to withstand her attack, Mezoti made a fist. She instinctively tucked her thumb under her fingers but quickly realized her mistake and fixed it before he could correct her. She drew back her fist and let if fly, coming in contact with Chakotay's palm with a faint _smack_. While he felt the tiny fist come in contact with his hand, it didn't even hurt. "Good job." A large smile spread across her face at the simple praise. Although she'd only thrown one punch, she felt victorious and like a champion. Now that he'd seen what she could do, he knew what they had to work on. "Let's work on your form now." He stood up. "Watch." Mezoti carefully analyzed Chakotay as he held up his fists and kept his eyes locked on the punching bag. His brows furrowed with concentration as his fist flew forward in a blur and came in contact with the punching bag. His knuckles stung in protest, he should have wrapped his hands as well, but a few bare knuckle punches wouldn't kill him. Mezoti eagerly stepped up to the punching bag and mimicked his stance. The sight made him smile. It certainly was amusing to see such a petite child trying to act tough and boxing. He was glad he agreed to this ill-conceived notion.

When Seven arrived home, it was far later than she originally intended. Given the fact that she was only at Pathfinder for a few hours a week, she'd been working the entire time in order to ensure she was being as efficient as possible. As a result, she was feeling completely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to head down to her alcove for the night. She wanted to check in on how everything went at home; this was the longest Chakotay and Mezoti had been home alone. She was confident in his child care abilities, but she couldn't help but worry as well, she knew their relationship wasn't as ideal as he wanted it to be.

While the house wasn't in complete chaos, the normally neat and organized kitchen could be considered a mess. A bowl of melted, half-eaten ice cream sat on the table next to an empty bowl that Seven presumed once held ice cream as well. On the counter in the center of the kitchen between the table and the stove rested two knives and what looked like the remnants of several vegetables. When she investigated further, she saw the burned remains of dinner in a pan in the sink. Whatever had been initially prepared for dinner, it obviously hadn't been consumed. Seven started to get worried. It wasn't like Chakotay to leave a mess like this, leaving her to believe that something was wrong.

"Chakotay?" she called as she headed upstairs to investigate further. There was no response. "Chakotay?" Hearing the fear in her voice, Chakotay emerged from his office.

"Hey, everything alright?" he asked quietly so he didn't wake Mezoti, who he'd just gotten to bed about an hour ago, after promising over and over again that Seven would be home shortly.

"I became concerned when I saw the mess downstairs. I thought something was wrong." He gathered her up in his arms and pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head. In all honesty, he'd completely forgotten about the mess downstairs. After spending some time teaching Mezoti to box, he'd been so focused on getting her cleaned up and in bed before it got too late. Then, he'd retreated to his office to do some work himself while he had some alone time.

"Everything's fine," he assured. "Mezoti and I had a great evening together, and now she's asleep." He motioned towards his office so they weren't having a conversation right outside Mezoti's room and risk waking her. If they did, it would undoubtedly be quite an ordeal getting her back to bed.

In his office, Chakotay casually leaned against his desk while Seven closed the door behind them, giving them some privacy to talk. He could tell that she was feeling tired, it had been quite some time since she'd pulled a double like this, but she would have to get used to it.

"How was Pathfinder?" he asked.

"I know Admiral Paris only invited me to join because of my expertise in transwarp technology. I think he wasn't prepared for all the alterations to the work they've done that I brought with me. He wanted me to 'shadow' Lieutenants Paris or Kim while I grow accustomed to working there. I told him that that was an inefficient use of time." Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle. There was no doubt in his mind that Seven did that; the concept of respect for higher ups. In her mind, everyone was the same.

"Oh you did? How did he react?"

"He seemed confused, but I showed him that it would be prudent to let me do my job, especially given the fact that I am only there once a week." She stood between his legs and put her hands on his shoulders. His hands instinctively gripped the swell of her hips, pulling her closer. "How was your evening?"

"It's was great, I really think Mezoti and I are really starting to bond." Intrigued, she raised an eyebrow, which he knew was her way of encouraging him to continue without saying so. "We made dinner but ended up burning it, so we had ice cream."

"Ice cream for dinner?" She was clearly unimpressed. "That's hardly a nutritious meal."

"Which is exactly what Mezoti said. One night of ice cream for dinner won't kill her. We talked a lot too."

"What about?" Chakotay sighed. He wasn't entirely sure how to tell Seven about Mezoti's outburst about her lack of friends, but he couldn't keep this from her, especially given the fact that he was already keeping his boxing lessons from her. It was important for her to know.

"She's struggling at school."

"Her grades are exemplary." He shook his head.

"I'm not talking about academics, sweetheart. She's not making friends, and it's hard for her." This wasn't news to her, they'd had this conversation in the past, but it was different hearing that Mezoti was getting upset about her lack of friends at school. She wanted nothing more than to take away her daughter's discomfort, but she had no idea how. She herself still struggled with forging lasting friendships with others.

"How do we proceed?"

"I told her that soon she'll find the perfect group of friends, it may take time." He paused. "You of all people know how difficult it is to adjust to being a human. People are wary of the Borg, but once they realize how amazing she is, she'll be one of the most popular girls in school. We'll be chasing her friends away every day."

"So all we can do is wait for that to happen?"

"Unless you have another plan." She stopped to think. Nothing immediately came to mind, although her knowledge of young human interactions was basically non-existent. The memories she had of her childhood were few and far between, making it nearly impossible for her to sympathize with Mezoti. She was essentially relying on Chakotay when it came to matters such as this. "I wish I knew what to say." He could see in her eyes that she was feeling just as emotional about this as he was. He drew her closer and kissed her cheek softly.

"Despite this news, I am relieved to hear that you and Mezoti are forming a stronger relationship."

"I am too." One of her hands slid to the back of his neck, drawing small circles along the base of his skull. Her touch was firm, yet soothing. He moaned softly, only encouraging her to continue the small action.

"I have to regenerate tonight. Do you think you will be alright by yourself tonight?" He trailed his fingertips along her side lightly. It tickled, but she didn't bother stopping him, as it was also incredibly comforting.

"I think I can manage in that giant bed without you, although it will be awfully lonely." The flattery caused her to smile. Seven found that nearly every day she was smiling, usually it was something that Chakotay said or did. Despite the stress that came from Mezoti's current situation pertaining to friends, there was no way for her to deny how happy she was, and it appeared that Mezoti was relatively happy as well.

 **Author's Note:** Love it? Hate it? Leave a review and let me know!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Mezoti nibbled on her salad and washed it down with juice, although she barely tasted any of it. This food was hardly enough to sustain a person, she could hear her mother complaining in her head, scolding the school for not providing nutritious meals to the students. It was yet another day of eating lunch alone, but it was something she was starting to grow accustomed to. In a way, it was something she looked forward to everyday, and she took advantage of this time to read. In the past, she had time to herself at home as well, but now her mom and Chakotay made her participate in boring "family time" every evening, which took away from her precious reading time. With her time alone at lunch, however, she could read all she wanted. Ms. Coalburg made sure to provide her with books that challenged her intellectually while simultaneously entertaining her and teaching her about Earth's culture. She honestly felt that she learned more from those books than she did in the classroom, but she'd never tell her teacher that, it would be disrespectful. It was relieving to feel stretched academically again, even if all she was doing was reading books.

Mezoti was so wrapped up in reading her book that she didn't notice a pair of eyes on her. With her eyes locked on her book, she shoveled a forkful of salad into her mouth and slowly chewed. It wasn't until the stranger sat down across from her at the table did Mezoti even realize that she wasn't alone.

"Whatcha reading?" a mysterious voice chirped. The intrusion startled her. After eating lunch alone every day since she got here, she wasn't expecting anyone to join her. Most people actively avoided her, no matter the cost. Caught off guard, she looked up with wide, surprised eyes. Standing across from her was a human girl her own age. She had vivid red hair tied back into two braids that hung down her back and startling bright blue eyes. She actually looked similar to Naomi, which surprised her. Clutched in her hand was a tray with a lunch identical to Mezoti's: a sandwich, a salad, juice and a cookie.

"Huh?" She'd been so absorbed by her book that she didn't even hear the question.

"What are you reading?" the girl repeated much slower, almost to the point of mockery.

" _Jane Eyre_ ," Mezoti replied in a guarded tone, ready at any minute for Naya and Priya to show up and start teasing her about something, although she felt she hadn't been doing anything wrong, not that that ever stopped them.

"Is it any good?"

"I just started it yesterday, so I haven't had the time to form an adequate opinion on it yet. I do find it enjoyable though." She took a seat across from her, making herself comfortable. Sensing this stranger wanted to continue the conversation, Mezoti noted what page she was on and put the book to the side. So much for getting some reading done today at lunch.

"My name's Axuna, what's your name?"

"My designation is Mezoti." She paused for a moment as she tried to place Axuna's face. With the exception of her similar appearance to Naomi, she was confident she'd never seen her before. "I don't recognize you, you aren't in Ms. Coalburg's class." The girl took a bite of her own salad, followed by a sip of her juice, and she shook her head.

"No, I'm in Mrs. Enfer's class. I've noticed you the past few days, and I thought you could use someone to sit with. I hope you don't mind." While Mezoti first felt uneasy about the intrusion, she realized that this was what she had been hoping for since she got here, the chance to make a new friend.

"No, I'm glad for the company." She took a bite of her sandwich. This food was awful, but it was sufficient until she got home and had a chance to make dinner with Chakotay.

"What species are you? I've studied all the species in the Federation, and I've never seen anyone who looks like you." While some might find the question rude, it didn't bother Mezoti. It was the first time a student here had taken the time to get to know her. In a way, she was relieved that Axuna had chosen to ask her about what species she was, not about the implant on her temple or the angry scar that ran along her cheek. The Doctor kept promising he would find a way to remove that scar, but he hadn't had the chance yet. It was harder to ask him now that she didn't see him on a regular basis.

"I'm Norcadian, from the Delta Quadrant." The admission caused Axuna's eyes to light up with excitement, and she leaned forward with an eager smile plastered across her face. Now things started to make sense to her.

"You were on _Voyager_ , weren't you?" she asked, although her expression said that she already knew the answer to her question. "My aunt worked on the Pathfinder project. That was Starfleet's attempt to get _Voyager_ back to the Alpha Quadrant." She had no idea someone so famous was sitting alone in the cafeteria this entire time.

"I am familiar with the Pathfinder Project. Yes, I was on _Voyager_ , and now I'm here."

"What was it like? What's space like? How about the Delta Quadrant? I've followed _Voyager_ 's story for years now. It must been so exciting to be in space. I've always wanted to go into space; I want to join Starfleet when I'm older." Mezoti found the questions overwhelming as she tried to think of how to respond. While she found that she missed _Voyager_ , she also found that she had no idea where to start answering the questions; they were so broad and difficult to pinpoint an exact answer. Usually people asked her mother about _Voyager_ , ignoring her because they deemed her too young to formulate her own opinion on the matter. In actuality, she had a lot to say about her time in space, and this was the first time anyone really took the time to ask her opinion on it.

"Space was very exciting, and I miss it a lot. My friends were there, and there was always something to do or something happening. We made first contact with many alien species, explored various planets and documented dozens of interstellar phenomenon. I learned a great deal while there with my Mama."

"I didn't know there were children on _Voyager_. It must have been dangerous and scary, especially with the Bor-" Axuna cut herself off. She saw the implants on Mezoti's face, and she knew what they represented. It would be rude to bring up the Borg, but it just slipped out. They were the only species she knew that lived in the Delta Quadrant.

"The Borg, you can say it. The Borg were a dangerous enemy, but they were hardly the only enemies _Voyager_ encountered in the Delta Quadrant."

"Tell me about it," Axuna pressed eagerly. "My aunt used to talk about _Voyager_ all the time when she came over, and now I'm meeting someone who was actually there. That's so exciting! I can't wait to tell her. She said she met Captain Janeway when she got back, she personally came and thanked every member of Pathfinder for all their hard work." Mezoti didn't quite understand the excitement that Axuna experienced, but it did feel nice to have someone to talk to and share her meal with.

Now that she had someone to talk to, time seemed to fly by for Mezoti. Axuna listened with rapt attention as she recalled a time she and Icheb accidentally got trapped on the holodeck for several hours while running a beach program. It wasn't the worst place to get stuck on the holodeck, but it had still been somewhat frightening. The bell rang, indicating lunch was over. Both girls grabbed their trays and followed the stream of students as they recycled the remnants of their meal and immediately bolted outside to enjoy recess. Mezoti put her tray on the regenerator and nearly walked away until she remembered that she had to wait for Axuna; it would be rude to leave her behind after she so graciously joined her for lunch. Once Axuna dropped off her tray, she took Mezoti's hand and pulled her outside with a smile plastered across her face. The intimate action caught Mezoti off guard, and she almost pulled her hand free but stopped herself at the last moment. It was a perfectly harmless action, so she felt there was no need for her to put an end to it.

Outside, sunlight streamed from above. Children screamed and laughed with delight as they darted across the playground, glad to have thirty minutes of glorious freedom before being stuck inside for the rest of the day. It was gorgeous outside, and everyone was excited to be outside and enjoy the weather.

"You mentioned your mom, who is she? Is she Norcadian too?" Axuna asked as she dropped Mezoti's hand, and they walked the perimeter of the playground side by side. The playground equipment didn't appeal to either girl, so neither of them minded just walking and talking.

"My mom is Seven of Nine. She was not an original member of _Voyager_ but joined approximately four years into the starship's journey. She was assimilated by the Borg."

"So your mom was a Borg too?" Mezoti nodded. While she knew her mom had been a drone, she never thought of her in that way. To her, Seven was just her mama, a person who loved and took care of her unconditionally. Her being Borg was only part of who she was, and she wished people would realize there was so much more than that.

Remembering the importance of small talk, she asked, "What about your parents? What do they do?"

"My mom is an engineer, and my dad is a teacher," Axuna replied. "It's the two of us and my two brothers and one sister."

"You have siblings?" Mezoti blurted out. "I used to have brothers, but not anymore." The words came out before she could stop them. Once they did, she realized just how strange it sounded. Besides, they technically weren't her brothers, but she couldn't think of any other way to describe her relationship with them.

"What happened to them?" Axuna asked hesitantly, fearing that she'd inadvertently opened up a Pandora's Box of sorts.

"They went back to their people on Wysanti in the Delta Quadrant. It's...complicated. They're my brothers, but not really."

"It sounds complicated." Axuna paused. Around them, children played and laughed, but neither girl seemed to care. They were enjoying their conversation, and, frankly, this was far better than sitting around and watching all the children playing. "Is it just you and your mom now?"

"No, we live with Chakotay. He's, umm...he is…" Mezoti had no idea how to describe her relationship with Chakotay. Yes, they were closer now, but she still didn't know how to define her specific relationship with him. They weren't friends, they weren't father and daughter, they were Chakotay and Mezoti.

"Is he your stepdad?" Axuna asked in an attempt to help Mezoti think of the right word.

"No, he and my Mama aren't married."

"So he's her boyfriend?"

"That would be an accurate description. Chakotay is my mother's boyfriend. He was on _Voyager_ as well." Now that Axuna had heard the name several times, it sounded familiar. She'd been so caught up in Mezoti's story that she didn't put all the pieces together. Now, she felt foolish for not realizing it sooner.

"He was the First Officer on _Voyager_. I knew that name sounded familiar. So you live with Commander Chakotay?" Excitement filled Axuna's voice at the prospect of talking to the stepdaughter of sorts of the First Officer of _Voyager_. It was all so exhilarating.

"Now he is Captain Chakotay, but that would be correct. We moved in with him approximately three weeks ago." At first, Mezoti felt hesitant to talk to Axuna, but the more they talked, the more comfortable she became. Conversation came naturally to them. Not only was it surprising, but it was also comforting. She finally had someone her own age to talk to. With any luck, this relationship would blossom into a friendship. Chakotay was right, all she had to do was wait for the right person to come around to start a friendship.

For half an hour, Mezoti and Axuna talked openly about everything. By the end of recess, Mezoti knew about her new friend's family, her favorite activities, her favorite subject and a series of other personal information. Mezoti had readily shared the same information with Axuna. Both girl felt envious of the other. Mezoti was jealous of the siblings Axuna had at home to play with. Axuna, on the other hand, felt jealous of the perceived excitement she'd lived through in the Delta Quadrant and now that her mom and Chakotay still stayed in touch with crew members from _Voyager_. Mezoti's heart soared with delight at the prospect of a new friend, someone to look forward to seeing every day, of a reason to be excited to go to school. Unfortunately, it all came to an end when the bell rang, indicating recess was over, and it was time for students to return to class. Suddenly, Mezoti didn't feel so happy anymore. Axuna was in a different class, which meant they wouldn't be able to spend any more time together today.

"Tomorrow I'll meet you at the same table for lunch," Axuna said as they began to walk back towards the school building. "If that's okay with you…"

"I would find your company most enjoyable. Thank you for joining me today."

"There's no need to thank me." Children surrounded them, jostling them as they all headed inside. Mezoti couldn't understand why everyone was so eager go back inside. Based on what she saw, her peers were often bored and restless in the classroom, yet they were also excited to go back inside.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Axuna sounded almost like she didn't believe that Mezoti would want to join her for lunch tomorrow. The smile that spread across the girl's face told her to the contrary.

"I'll see you tomorrow." They crossed the threshold and entered the school. Unfortunately, it was where they had to part ways. Mezoti gave Axuna one last quick glance before turning to the right and head towards Ms. Coalburg's classroom. At least the end of recess marked the home stretch of school, and then she would be able to go home.

Just like he did every afternoon, Chakotay stood outside his shuttle as what felt like hundreds of children spilled out from the school and scattered across the property. Some ran down the street as they walked home, others boarded large shuttles to take them to their neighborhoods, and some went to play on the playground. With so many children, it was difficult for him to find Mezoti at first. His keen eyes continued to scan the dozens of children, looking for her familiar face. Finally, he saw her. As always, she walked alone out of the school. Then, for some reason, she stopped about fifty meters away from him and turned around. Confusion flashed across his face as he watched, trying to figure out what was going on; he hoped nothing was wrong. A strange girl with red hair in braided pigtails ran up to Mezoti and swung her arm around her shoulders like they were old friends. The strange girl said something to Mezoti, who tilted her head down so she could hear her properly over the din surrounding them. A smile broke out across her face. It was the first real smile Chakotay had seen on her face in weeks. The mystery girl hugged Mezoti before darting down the pathway and getting on one of the larger shuttles with about three dozen other children to go home.

There was an undeniable spring in Mezoti's step as she walked up to Chakotay, who looked equally happy with the events that just transpired. Although he couldn't be certain, it looked like after several weeks, she was finally starting to make friends and adjust to her new life.

"Hey," she chirped as she shed her backpack and handed it over, just like she did every day. He didn't mind, it barely weighed a thing and allowed her to get in the shuttle quicker.

Without bothering to beat around the bush, he asked, "Who were you talking to?" As Chakotay tossed her backpack to the ground and took his seat at the conn, she flopped back in her seat and buckled herself up.

"That's Axuna," she replied with a simple shrug as if it was no big deal, although her expression said otherwise.

"Is she a friend?" The shuttle took off in the direction of home. He kept one eye on where he was going and one eye on Mezoti to gauge her reaction to his question. She stopped to think, carefully contemplating the question.

"I guess she could be classified as my friend," she replied. "We ate lunch together and spent recess together as well."

"What did you do?"

"We just talked," Mezoti said with a small shrug. "But it was enjoyable. We have made plans to meet before school starts tomorrow as well." That's why Axuna stopped her on the way out the door. She told her where she could be found before school so they could spend time together as well.

"That's fantastic, Mezoti! See, I told you that it was all going to work out." Mezoti couldn't help but smile. She had just about given up on social endeavors and making friends at school, but now she found that it had been well worth the wait. Now, she had someone to spend time with to make school more pleasant. She couldn't wait to tell her mama and Naomi.

Further conversation between Chakotay and Mezoti was cut off by a message coming in through the ship's comm system. Figuring it could be someone from Headquarters, he answered the call. He hoped he wouldn't be called back to work, because he had nowhere for Mezoti to go. Instead, Kathryn's face materialized on the screen.

"Kathryn!" he exclaimed. They'd just talked last night, albeit very briefly, he wasn't expecting to hear from her today, although it was a welcome surprise. "Is something wrong?" Normally she called him in the evening, when they were both done with work for the day. Usually calls at this hour were followed by requests to do something for work.

"No, I was at Headquarters looking for you, but they said that you already left for the day," she explained. A wave of relief washed over Chakotay, who really did think he was going to be summoned back to Headquarters for a meeting or something equally as trivial.

"I leave early to pick Mezoti up from school since Seven has class until late."

"Oh, is Mezoti there now?" At the sound of her name being called, Mezoti leaned over so half her face appeared on Kathryn's monitor.

"Hello, Admiral," she greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. It's so good to see you. Tell me, how's school?" For someone who didn't have any children of her own, Kathryn was actually fantastic with them. She knew how to make them think that she was the only people she cared about and always acted completely fascinated by everything they had to say.

"School's good. I made a new friend today." She raised her eyebrows in excitement and pleasure. "Her name is Axuna, and she knows a lot about _Voyager_. She says her aunt worked for the Pathfinder Project, but she didn't tell me her name. She did say that her aunt met you when you got back to Earth, that you'd gone to thank everyone from Pathfinder." She nodded; it was the least she could do to thank all those officers who'd worked tirelessly to get them back home safely, although she felt that a simple thank you would never be enough for all they did. "We ate lunch together and talked all through recess, and tomorrow we're going to meet before school starts to spend more time together. She likes to read, and she likes science. She wants to join Starfleet one day." Some of this was news to Chakotay, who'd barely been able to talk to Mezoti before Kathryn called him.

"Wow, sounds like you found a fantastic new friend, I'm so happy for her. See if you can find out her aunt's name, I may know her. I still keep in touch with many members of the Pathfinder Project." Starfleet might employ thousands of people, but it was also like a family. In a way, everyone seemed to know everyone else; it was the strangest thing.

"I will," Mezoti assured sa she nodded her head.

"You know, if Axuna's aunt worked for the Pathfinder Project, that means that she worked for Tom Paris' father."

"Admiral Paris," the child interjected.

"Exactly." Kathryn paused. "I'm glad to hear that you're making friends, Mezoti. It sounds like school is going well. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Admiral." The awkward position was hurting Mezoti's neck and back, forcing her to sit back in her seat. This gave Chakotay and Kathryn a chance to talk, although they wouldn't be privy to a private conversation like they would be at Headquarters.

"How are things going?" Kathryn asked him. "Have the issues we discussed resolved themselves?" He glanced over at Mezoti, who had pulled her book out of her backpack and started reading it. Although she appeared to be absorbed in her book, he knew better. She was an inquisitive child, and he had no doubt that she was listening to their conversation. For that reason, he had to be guarded with what he said.

"Things are improving," he replied. "It's been a slow process, but I'm definitely pleased with how things are going."

"I'm glad to hear it, I know you were feeling stressed earlier. I keep meaning to visit Seven, but every time I find a few minutes to head over to the Academy, I find that she's either in a meeting or teaching."

"They definitely keep her busy there. I'm sure she'd be glad to see you regardless of your timing."

"I'll make sure to stop by then." Chakotay hoped she would. It was still a difficult adjustment, going from seeing everyone and eating meals together day after day to having to schedule time to spend even a few minutes together every few weeks. It did make the time they spent together that much more special, but he missed the daily encounters and the little things they used to do such as grabbing a cup of coffee or a quick game of velocity on the holodeck.

When they got home, Mezoti burst through the door, dropping her backpack with a loud clatter, sending her books flying across the hardwood floor. Oblivious, she dashed down the hall to the living room. She always seemed to leave a trail of chaos wherever she went, not that he expected anything less from her.

Chakotay stepped over the mess and called after her, "Mezoti, clean up your backpack." Still moving at full speed, she did a one eighty and returned to the foyer. "Then replicate yourself a snack and get started on your homework. Your mother will want to check it after dinner. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir." He didn't bother correcting her. Instead, he went upstairs to his office. He trust Mezoti well enough to get a snack and start on her homework within a reasonable amount of time, she was a big girl after all. Halfway up the stairs, he stopped and turned around.

"Oh, and straighten up your room. It's a mess in there." Mezoti couldn't help but groan loudly in abject protest. There was nothing she hated more than cleaning. Her room wasn't that bad, at least not to her. It was hardly worth taking the time to clean it, not yet anyway. Perhaps, if she put that off until the very end of the evening, she would be able to get away with not cleaning up...at least for another day.

Mezoti replicated herself a cup of pudding. She never understood why Chakotay didn't like pudding, it was delicious and came in so many wonderful flavors. On her way up to her room, she snatched up her backpack and swung it over her shoulder. She pounded up the steps.

Right as she was about to enter her bedroom, Chakotay called from his office, "Don't forget to straighten up your room."

"Yes Sir," she called before closing the door behind her. When she looked around her room, she realized that perhaps she should clean up a little bit. Toys, books and clothes covered nearly every centimeter of the floor, making it impossible to see underneath. It shouldn't take her that long, most of the clothes were dirty and had to go in the hamper in the closet. She could then put away the books on the shelves above her desk. Before that, however, she wanted to get her homework done, as that would be the first thing her mother would want to see when she got home.

Try as she might, Mezoti couldn't concentrate on her homework. Every time she tried to solve a problem or read a page, she kept thinking about Axuna. She couldn't wait for Seven to get home so she could tell her about her day. For the first time since starting school, she'd had a fantastic day and actually looked forward to going to school tomorrow. She hoped that her mom was just as excited and happy for her as Chakotay and the Admiral had been. It had been an exciting day, a day she'd been hoping for for quite some time, and now that it was here, it was all she could think about. She just hoped that tomorrow was just as wonderful as today.

Later that evening, Seven was barely in the door when Mezoti came flying down the steps and launched herself into her mother's arms. Caught off guard, Seven stumbled backwards but managed to keep her balance as she instinctively wrapped her arms around Mezoti to prevent her from falling to the ground herself. She'd never been greeted like that, and, for a moment, she thought that something was wrong. As soon as she saw the smile plastered across her daughter's face, however, she knew that that couldn't be further from the truth.

"Mama! You're home!" she announced gleefully. "I've been waiting for you to get home."

"Hopefully your impatience has not impeded your ability to complete your homework," Seven commented as she smoothed Mezoti's hair back from her face affectionately.

"I am a little behind on my studies for the night," she admitted sheepishly. "But I was just so excited to tell you about my day." Seven broke free of Mezoti's vice like grip, giving her the chance to put her bag down in it's designated spot under the small table where nobody could trip over it.

"How was school today?" she asked as she walked down the hall to the kitchen to see how dinner was progressing. As they walked, Mezoti took her mother's hand. Seven's slender fingers instinctively curled around her daughter's smaller hand.

"I made a new friend today," she announced proudly. Intrigued, Seven raised her eyebrow and looked down at her.

"You did? Explain."

"Her name is Axuna, and she's in another class, but we're still friends. We ate lunch together and spent all of recess together, and tomorrow we're going to meet before school too. Her aunt worked on the Pathfinder Project. Do you know what that is?" Before Seven could answer, Mezoti continued, "It means her aunt worked with Lieutenant Paris' dad to help bring _Voyager_ back to the Alpha Quadrant."

"That is a very impressive credential. The Pathfinder Project was extremely exclusive amongst Starfleet officers."

"She said that she knows all about _Voyager_ and she thought it was cool that we're living with Chakotay, but I didn't understand why that was such a big deal because he's just Chakotay." By this time, they'd entered the kitchen where Chakotay was busy cooking dinner. Mezoti had attempted to help, but she was so excited about her new friend that she kept getting in the way. As a result, Chakotay sent her back up to her room to keep working on her homework.

"Oh, so I'm just Chakotay now?" he teased.

Seven put a hand on his back and said, "Don't worry, you're much more than 'just Chakotay' to me." Smiling, he kissed her softly. Normally such displays of affection drove Mezoti crazy, she thought it was gross when adults kissed and couldn't understand the appeal, but today she was too excited to care.

"Good to know," he whispered against her lips before pulling away. "So, Mezoti, I take it you told your mother about Axuna?" She nodded eagerly.

"I can't wait to go to school tomorrow and see my new friend," she gushed. "I talked to the Admiral today, she's going to be so jealous. Maybe one day she can meet her." Her eyes lit up at the prospect.

"I'm sure Kathryn would be happy to meet her one day too," Chakotay assured as he handed Mezoti a stack of plates to set the table. Without him having to say it, she knew what he wanted and immediately complied.

Mezoti exuded an excitement Seven had never seen in her before, even on _Voyager_. She could see in the way she walked, the way she held her head that she was undeniably happy. If the smile didn't give it away, it was the bounce in her step as she flitted around the table, taking care of her designated chore for the evening. Normally, she found setting the table tedious and annoying, why couldn't everyone just set their own place? Today, however, she didn't mind; she was in too good a mood to let it bother her. Besides, it wasn't like it was a difficult task, and she was normally down here cooking with Chakotay anyway, so it made sense for her to do it.

Dinner at their household was always a quiet affair since it was just the three of them. After spending years of eating in the mess hall with dozens of other officers, a quiet meal was exactly what they wanted. It gave the trio a chance to talk about their day and upcoming plans. Usually this was when Mezoti talked about her day, but she'd already relayed every aspect of her new friend to both Seven and Chakotay. There was something else bothering her though, something she'd never thought of until she talked to Axuna today.

"Mama, are you and Chakotay going to have a baby?" she blurted out without any warning. Caught off guard, Chakotay nearly spit out his drink. Once did manage to swallow, he coughed loudly, snatching up his napkin in an attempt to muffle the loud noise. Equally shocked, Seven's eyes nearly doubled in size before she glared at her daughter.

"Mezoti, that's hardly an appropriate question," she scolded. Mezoti couldn't understand what she'd done wrong; it seemed like an innocent enough question to her. She'd heard many adults ask Lieutenants Paris and Torres if they were going to have more children, along with Naomi's parents. If it was okay for people to ask them, why couldn't she ask?

"I just wanted to know," she explained meekly as she shrank back in her chair. She felt sick to her stomach with shame. Perhaps she shouldn't have asked, but she only did so because she was jealous of Axuna. It sounded like fun at her house, much more exciting than around here.

"It's a reasonable question," Chakotay said slowly, coming to the child's defense. "Why do you want to know?"

"Axuna has three siblings, and I miss playing with the twins and Naomi, and I thought that if you two had a baby, I would have someone to play with at home." Visibly shaken by the question, Seven silently excused herself, carrying her dirty dishes to the sink. She wasn't hungry anymore. Chakotay gave Mezoti's hand a quick squeeze.

"Right now, it's just the three of us," he explained gently. "Maybe, in a few years, once things settle down, we'll expand our family. Don't you like things how they are?" His voice was warm and comforting, but he still got Seven upset as she pretended to be busy washing the dishes.

"I guess," Mezoti muttered. She pulled her hand free. "Can I be excused?"

"Yeah, why don't you go finish your homework?" She grabbed her dirty dishes to put in the sink like she did every night, but he reached out and said, "I've got it. You go ahead." For a second, Mezoti thought it was a trick, but instead of arguing, she went back upstairs to finish up her homework for the night.

The second Seven was sure Mezoti was upstairs and out of earshot, she slammed her hand down on the faucet, turning off the water, and announced loudly, "You shouldn't lie to her like that." Caught off guard, Chakotay froze right in the middle of clearing the table.

"I'm sorry?" He really didn't see what he had done wrong.

"You know I am unable to have children, we discussed it at length at the commencement of our relationship. Therefore, it would be impossible to expand our family like you told Mezoti we would. I will not have you lying to my daughter like that." A few angry tears sprang up in her eyes, which only caused her to grow more upset, this time with herself. When he saw the tears, Chakotay crossed the kitchen and attempted to wipe them away with his thumbs, but she pushed him away angrily, not that that deterred him.

"There are other ways to expand our family," he murmured. "If you want, we can adopt. And I'm sure if you told the Doctor, he'd search every single medical database to find a way to make it happen." He ran his finger along her jaw, forcing her to look at him properly. "Do you want to have a baby?" She rested her hands on his broad shoulders.

"I had not considered it, I've never felt the maternal desire to procreate, but once Mezoti came under my care, I began to understand why women feel the need to have children. Right now, I feel that Mezoti is enough." He rested his forehead against hers. "I simply do not think it is possible though."

"Anything is possible," he assured as he ran his fingertips up and down along her back soothingly. After the debacle with Seska, he always swore he'd never have another biological child. The prospect of raising one with Seven, whether it was biological or adopted, was something he'd readily consider; once he figured out how to get along more with Mezoti that is.

Later that night, there was no way to calm Mezoti down. She flitted around the house from one room to the next excitedly, barely able to focus on a task for more than a few moments before moving on to something else. The exuberance of having a friend made her feel like she was on top of the world.

"Mezoti, you must calm down," Seven ordered as Mezoti bounced up and down while packing up her books for school the next day.

"I'm sorry, Mama, but I'm just so happy." With all her books safely in her backpack, she snatched up the bag and ran down the hall to put it by the door.

"Mezoti, walk," Seven barked. The child ignored her and ran at full speed back down the hall, jumping down both steps to the living room and landing with a loud _thud_ that caused the room to tremble. "Mezoti! Cease this behavior at once! I will not tolerate it." The child's small face fell.

"Yes, ma'am," she muttered, crestfallen. Seven put aside the book she was reading. No work was getting done, and she figured she might as well go to bed. Chakotay had retreated to their room over an hour and a half ago, although she wasn't sure how much sleep he could be getting with all this noise down here, leaving her and Mezoti awake.

"Now, go downstairs and regenerate." Her voice was firm, telling Mezoti that she should calm down and comply. Rather than run downstairs, however, she threw her arms around her mother's waist and looked up at her.

"Goodnight, Mama, I love you." Seven smoothed her hair out of her face affectionately and planted a kiss on her forehead, right above where her ridge tapered off.

"I love you too." She smiled and gave her mama one last squeeze before running downstairs. Although she felt wide awake, she knew she had to regenerate or else tomorrow she would be too tired and could risk getting sick, which would ruin spending time with Axuna.

Once Mezoti was downstairs, Seven headed upstairs to bed. Thanks to her enhanced eyesight in her left eye, she didn't need to turn on any of the lights and risk waking Chakotay. He was sprawled across the middle of the bed on his back, snoring softly in the darkness. As quietly as possible, Seven retrieved her pajamas from under her pillow, changed and climbed into bed. The shifting mattress drew his attention. Drawing in a deep breath, he rolled over and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"What time is it?" he muttered sleepily as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling the sweet smell that was uniquely her own.

"Approximately 2300 hours," she replied as she put her hand over his and drew his arm around her tighter. "I apologize if I woke you."

"It's fine, sweetheart." She laced her fingers with his and gave his hand a squeeze. "How's Mezoti doing?"

"Extremely chaotic and difficult to handle."

"I did tell you once that children and chaos tend to go hand in hand." She rolled onto her back so she could get a better look at him. She couldn't believe that despite all this chaos, he actually considered having more children in the future. Wasn't this enough excitement for him?

"I am fully aware of the chaotic nature of children, but tonight she was especially difficult." He cracked a small smile.

"Can you blame her? She's been struggling to make friends, and now she has one. If I were her, I'd be just as excited. She wasn't doing anything wrong, babe, it's hardly worth getting stressed over. If anything, you should be happy for her." He was also relieved that Mezoti had bounced back after the uncomfortable conversation at dinner. Normally when she got in a bad mood, it stuck around for the remainder of the day. Apparently her excitement over Axuna outweighed her discomfort over her awkward question at dinner, for which both of them were glad.

"I am relieved that Mezoti is finally making friends. I hope that her adjustment will continue in the coming weeks." Neither of them brought up the subject of children again; it was far too late to have such a serious discussion. Besides, it was something they had discussed many times over the past few months, making further conversation unnecessary. Right now, Mezoti was more than enough for both of them.

"I do too." Try as he might, Chakotay simply couldn't hold back his yawn. It was the middle of the night, and he had been in a deep sleep when Seven inadvertently woke him.

"You need to sleep," she pointed out in her usual blunt fashion. She softened the blow by kissing him softly. "We can discuss this further in the morning." He was tempted to argue that he was fine, but in actuality, he really wanted to go back to sleep.

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too." He settled back against the plush pillows and closed his eyes. With his arm firmly locked around Seven, it was only a matter of minutes until he was fast asleep once again.

 **Author's Note:** Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I have to tell you, I have finished writing this story, and it's a best: 35 chapters! So there's plenty more to come.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"Mama! We're going to be late! We have to go _now_!" Mezoti bellowed as she swung back and forth from the bannister at the bottom of the stairs. Her mom and Chakotay and told her not to swing from the bannister dozens of times, but she never listened; she had more important things to worry about, like getting to school as quickly as possible. She couldn't believe it; for the first time in her life, she was ready to leave before her mother. Now she was starting to understand why her mom got annoyed in the morning. Rather than be pleased, however, Seven seemed especially terse as she prepared for the day.

"Mezoti, I told we that we do not need to leave for another twenty minutes, and if you tell me we're going to be late one more time, you will be walking to school," Seven scolded from behind the closed door of the master bedroom, which muffled her voice significantly. Mezoti scowled. She couldn't wait another twenty minutes, it was killing her. She wanted to get to school and spend time with Axuna. It didn't even dawn on her that if she got there too early, her friend wouldn't be there. All she could focus on was getting to school as quickly as possible. She thought her mother would be happy that she made friends and was ready for school on time, but instead, she seemed annoyed. Mezoti threw her head back and groaned loudly in protest before stomping back to the living room where she threw herself down on the plush couch and crossed her arms over her chest while she waited impatiently for her mother to be ready. It was going to be a long morning, she just knew it.

Upstairs, Seven attempted to get ready for the day, but Chakotay was making it increasingly difficult. She tilted her head to the side and back against his shoulder, giving him access to the gentle slope of her neck, which he nuzzled affectionately, leaving a trail of kisses as he went. When he ran out of room, he hooked his fingers beneath her collar of her bodysuit and tugged on the stretchy dark blue fabric, exposing her clavicle, which he treated with just as much affection as her neck. She put her hands on his arms, which encircled her slender waist, holding him in place. As much as she knew that they needed to get going, she was enjoying this time together far too much to stop him. While they'd been living together for a few weeks now, she felt that they barely had any alone time to really be a couple. They woke up, went to work, came home, ate dinner, spent some time together, usually with Mezoti, then went to bed before repeating the process all over again. They hadn't been on a single date since she moved in and had only been intimate a handful of times. It was almost as if they had fallen into a rut. Seven turned around, wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck and tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Perhaps tonight, you and I could have a date," she suggested out of the blue. Not wanting to ruin the stolen romantic moment, he nibbled playfully on her earlobe.

"What do you have in mind?" His baritone voice rumbled in her ear, simultaneously sending shivers down her spine. One arm stayed locked around her waist while his fingertips ran up and down from her ribs to the swell of her hips and back up again. He knew exactly what to do to drive her crazy. His actions were making it hard for her to think.

"I have not planned out anything, but I am sure I can think of something. Do you have a preference for how to spend our evening?" He kissed her softly. For a moment, Seven felt him run his tongue along her lips, begging for permission to deepen the kiss, but she regretfully denied him access, not that that deterred him until she pried her lips away from his. Their foreheads pressed together.

"As long as I get to spend a few hours with you, I know I'll enjoy myself." She smiled.

"I look forward to our evening together."

"As do I."

"Mama!" Mezoti wailed from downstairs, instantly putting an end to the romantic moment. "Let's go!" Seven sighed.

"Mezoti is being incredibly difficult this morning," she complained. All she wanted was a few minutes alone with Chakotay, but it appeared that her daughter had other plans.

"She's just excited. Maybe it would do her some good to drop her off at school earlier than you originally planned. Besides, it might do her some good to go to school. It's not like she's running off to join a band of Klingon warriors." Scowling with frustration, she pulled away and turned her attention to smoothing down her hair and tucking away several loose strands that had fallen out of place thanks to Chakotay's teasing actions.

"We would be enabling her, encouraging her to continue this obnoxious behavior in order to get what she wants," she pointed out. It made sense to him, but there comes a point where you simply have to give in. Ultimately, when it came to Mezoti, he deferred to Seven's judgement, letting her make all the choices about her, he was just the boyfriend after all. Still, he could still throw in his two cents when applicable, like right now.

"She wants to go to school, Seven. Just a few weeks ago you guys were yelling at each other about her not wanting to go to school, and now she wants to go to school, and you're complaining."

"I'm not complaining, I'm simply pointing out that she is being increasingly difficult and impatient. She is a child, and she must learn that she will need to wait to get what she wants. The galaxy does not revolve around her." While she had an excellent point there, Chakotay still thought that it was completely understandable for Mezoti to be excited. For the first time, she had a reason to want to go to school. If he had been in her place, he would feel the same way. He didn't want to argue with Seven though; Mezoti was technically under her care, he was simply the boyfriend. For that reason, he deferred the major decisions pertaining to Mezoti to Seven's expertise.

Once she was properly dressed and ready to get her day started, Seven went downstairs to eat breakfast and get her day started. The second her feet hit the floor in the foyer, however, Mezoti shoved her work bag in her unexpecting hands. This was getting a bit ridiculous.

"Let's go," she announced. "Come on." She took a hold of her mother's arm and attempted to pull her to the front door. "We have to get going," she groaned and she pulled on the dead weight that was her mother.

"Mezoti, stop it," Seven snapped. "I have not consumed my nutritional supplement for the morning, and there is no need for you to be at school this early. I already agreed to bring you to school early, but this is too early. There will not be anyone at school to supervise you, so it will be unsafe for you to be at school this early." Mezoti rolled her eyes. Now her mom was getting ridiculous, of course there would be teachers there to watch her, and even if there weren't, she'd be fine for a few minutes by herself. "You will cease this behavior immediately." Scowling, she dropped her arm. "Thank you. We will leave in approximately ten minutes. Do not ask me to leave before then or else we'll leave at our normal time, understand?"

"Yes, Mama." She sounded crestfallen after she trailed after her mother as she went to the kitchen to get breakfast. While she had no idea what time Axuna got to school, she wanted to be there as early as possible so they could spend more time talking and playing. She finally had a friend, and she couldn't wait to see her again.

Seven landed the shuttle in her usual spot outside the school. Unlike when she normally dropped off Mezoti, there were only a handful of shuttles and significantly fewer children playing in the school yard. There were some teachers outside supervising the children, which was the only reason she felt comfortable leaving Mezoti here so early. Before the craft even hit the ground, Mezoti leapt out of her seat and flew to the hatch, ready to run out as soon as possible.

"Mezoti," Seven scolded in an annoyed tone. She could appreciate her daughter's excitement, but she needed to stay safe. "It is unsafe to be moving while I'm landing. You could have been hurt." Snatching up her backpack, Mezoti ignored her mother and bolted out the back of the shuttle, completely ignoring the reprimand. This was something they would have to discuss later when she was more inclined to listen to her.

"Bye, Mama!" she called over her shoulder. In the blink of an eye, she was gone. Her hair flew behind her, and her backpack thumped against her back as she ran across the playground to the designated meeting spot. From her seat in the shuttle, Seven took a few minutes to watch Mezoti. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her so happy; it almost made all the whining and insufferable behavior that morning worthwhile. It had been obnoxious to hear Mezoti constantly begging to leave, but seeing her run off with a smile on her face made it considerably more tolerable.

Around the back of the school, Mezoti skidded to a stop. A flash of red hair under the shade of the designated tree told her that Axuna was there waiting for her. Smiling, she hastily walked up to her; she didn't want to seem too eager. Instead, she tried to look as calm as possible on the outside, while on the inside, she could hardly contain herself. In order to help herself remain calm, she practiced some of the breathing techniques Tuvok taught her a year ago, although they did very little good. She was so excited to be here and more excited to see that her friend had shown up as well, telling her that this was real, she really did have a new friend.

Axuna glanced up from her PADD and smiled when she saw Mezoti approaching her. She too was excited to see her new friend, she enjoyed talking to her and hearing about her adventures in the Delta Quadrant. She'd had more excitement in her brief life than most adults did, and Axuna felt that she was getting that same excitement by proxy just by being near her.

"Hi," she chirped as she shoved her PADD in her backpack and scrambled to her feet.

"Hi," Mezoti echoed excitedly. "How was your evening?" Small talk wasn't her area of expertise, but her knowledge of the subject told her that asking about a person's day was an acceptable topic of conversation, or at least that's what the Doctor had told her.

"It was good. My brother had a trumpet recital last night, so I had to go to that. It was kinda boring, but it wasn't terrible," Axuna said with a shrug as they began to walk around the playground just like they did the day before at recess. "Do you play an instrument?"

"We have a piano at home, I think Chakotay bought it for my mama, but she doesn't really play it." Now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure she'd never seen her mother play the piano. She'd seen her glance over at it longingly, as if thinking about playing it, but it mostly just sat around unused in their living room.

"I didn't know Borg liked music." The comment just came out before she could think about it. As soon as it did, Axuna mentally chastised herself. She'd made a mental promise not to bring up the Borg about Mezoti. Her new friend seemed unbothered by her comment, which was a good sign, but she had to be more careful in the future.

"Mama says that well composed music is similar to perfection, which is the ultimate goal of the Borg. I guess I could learn to play the piano from her, but I've never asked." She was already so busy in the evenings, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to add piano lessons to her schedule. She turned to face Axuna. "Do you play an instrument?" The redhead scrunched up her face, which was enough of an answer for her.

Mezoti was so wrapped up in her conversation with Axuna that she didn't noticed Naya and Priya in their way until it was too late. The two girls seemed to materialize out of nowhere, blocking Mezoti and Axuna's path as they walked the perimeter of the playground just like they did the day before at recess.

"Look like someone's trying to form a Collective ," Naya sneered. Mezoti was so happy about having a friend, and she wasn't going to let these girls get her upset. Their words stung though. Never in her life had she ever assimilated anyone, but bringing that up probably wouldn't do any good. All these girls cared about was the fact that there was a former drone amongst them.

"I'd be careful, or she might try to assimilate us too," Priya whispered loudly to Naya while keeping her hate-filled gaze on Mezoti. Her brown eyes pierced her, causing her to take a wary step backwards, just to play it safe. Axuna, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered by the two girls. She wasn't going to let them get under her skin.

"Come on, let's go." Her voice was surprisingly firm as she slid her arm through Mezoti's and led her in the opposite direction with her head held high. Of course it was easy for her to act like nothing was wrong, it wasn't exactly like Naya and Priya were saying bad things about her, but Mezoti did take a certain sense of comfort in having a friend by her side now. Suddenly, Naya and Priya's comments didn't seem quite so bad now, not with someone to back her up. "Don't let them bother you," Axuna stated once they were out of earshot. "Naya's really smart, but now you're here, and she's afraid that you're going to be the smartest student in school." To Mezoti, that seemed like the most ridiculous thing ever. She couldn't understand feeling inferior to someone simply based on academics, each person was different, an individual.

"But I don't care about being the smartest kid in school," she blurted out. "Such titles are irrelevant. I'm just here to focus on school, which she should do too."

"I know that, but Naya has this need to always be the best. Just ignore her. I'll help you, I promise." Axuna flashed Mezoti a reassuring smile. The small action did wonders to make her feel better. While she usually found Naya and Priya's words hateful and damaging, they didn't seem to bother her anymore. Now she had a friend, and nothing else seemed to matter.

At Starfleet, Chakotay mindlessly drummed his fingers against his leg while sitting through yet another meeting. Admiral Paris sat at the head of the long table while Chakotay sat amongst the other captains scattered amongst the admirals and other flag officers at the table. This was starting to get old; it was all the same information they already knew. Then, the conversation shifted to command assignments, instantly causing Chakotay to perk up. This could be it, the moment he'd been waiting for. After nearly a year of being stuck here on Earth with the promise of getting a command that never came to fruition, he hoped that this would be the day he'd been waiting for. Admiral Paris rattled off a list of names and new commands. Several captains beamed as they were given their assignments, some more notable than others, but they were commands nonetheless. Once that was taken care of, they were debriefed on menial issues and reminded over and over again to keep up on the paperwork and reports that the admirals were too busy to do themselves. All of this could have easily been handled in one or two messages sent out to everyone, allowing them to continue with the paperwork they were being reminded to do. Like most meetings, this was a massive waste of everyone's time.

It wasn't the fact that the meeting was utterly pointless that bothered Chakotay the most but rather the fact that, once again, he had been overlooked for a command posting. In a moment of boredom, he looked at every captain at the table. As far as he knew, he was the only one here who hadn't been given a commission by Starfleet, which made him stick out like a sore thumb. He didn't want to be captain if it was just out of pity, a way to show the rest of the Maquis on _Voyager_ that all was forgiven. When Kathryn made him First Officer, he swore to her that he'd never be her token Maquis officer, but, here he was, the token Maquis officer of Starfleet. He doubted he'd ever get a posting. It was the worst punishment Starfleet could give him, far worse than prison: a promotion and the promise of returning to his beloved space without actually going back. As far as Starfleet was concerned, he'd never be in charge of a starship again.

The longer the meeting lasted, the more frustration that built up inside of Chakotay. It was nothing short of an insult making him sit through this torture. Not only was it insulting, but the mental list of things he had to do before picking Mezoti up from school kept growing. He had a lot of work to do and no motivation to do any of it. Why should he do something for Starfleet when they wouldn't do something for him? That wouldn't stop him from doing his job though. Despite how Starfleet treated him, he needed to always stay on top of his work so they didn't have any reason not to give him a command. In short, he needed to be the perfect captain no matter what happened.

The meeting couldn't end quick enough. The moment it was over, Chakotay was the first person on his feet and out the door. It wasn't that he was eager to get started on the rest of his work for the day, he simply couldn't stand to be in that meeting room for a second longer.

"Chakotay!" For a second he thought it was one of the admirals calling him, which would only make him more frustrated, as he had a lot to get done before leaving for the day. He briefly considered ignoring whoever was calling him, but he ultimately decided against it. With his jaw firmly set with frustration, he turned around. B'Elanna jogged up to him. The sight of her was a relief to him. "I thought that was you." She fell into step alongside him. "How are you?" Despite the fact that they worked together, the two old friends almost never saw each other; Pathfinder was on the opposite end of Headquarters, tucked away where nobody could accidentally stumble upon it.

"Never better," he snapped. She wasn't buying it for a second. She could hear in his voice and see in his eyes that that was an utter lie.

"You're full of shit," she stated bluntly. "Come on, let's go to lunch." Clearly they had a lot of catching up to do, and a simple conversation in the corridor wouldn't be enough.

"I have work to do," he argued pathetically. Undeterred, she slid her arm through Chakotay's and pulled him away from his office and in the opposite direction towards the mess hall.

"Too bad, you're my lunch date. It's been too long since I've seen you, and I miss you." He opened his mouth to argue that they'd just seen each other the day before yesterday but ultimately decided against it. If anyone could make him feel better right now, it was B'Elanna, she understood what it was like to transition back to life in Starfleet.

Although it was still a bit too early for the lunch rush, the mess hall was still buzzing with life and excitement as officers of all ranks mingled together and ate. Just like aboard any starship or space station, meeting for a meal was a chance for them to let their hair down and enjoy each other's company. Officers of all races, ages, ranks and species all lingered together, spending time together. Now, everyone was equal. It was something Chakotay enjoyed about Starfleet, the openness to anyone, no matter who they were. In the distance, he saw Ayala, eating with a group of his friends. Despite Chakotay's problems getting a command, even the Maquis were welcomed here with open arms, should they stay with Starfleet, which several of them decided to do.

The voices of those gathered in the mess hall bounced off the tall ceiling, causing everything to seem louder than it really was. Only about half of the long tables that stretched the entire length of the mess hall were full. A handful of officers lingered at the collection of counters along the far wall, waiting for freshly cooked food to be served. Others headed straight for the replicators in search of something more specific to their liking. Satisfied that Chakotay wasn't going anywhere, B'Elanna released him from her grip and headed over to the counter to see what was being prepared. He, on the other hand, went straight for a replicator where he ordered a large bowl of mushroom soup. After the morning he had, he needed something to cheer himself up.

After they both got their food, B'Elanna plopped herself down across from Chakotay unceremoniously. He'd scoped out a table in the far corner of the mess hall, away from everyone else. Her metal platter contained what looked like a thick slice of meatloaf, paired with a pile of mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

"So, what's bothering you?" she asked bluntly before shoving a forkful of potatoes in her mouth.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Chakotay asked. B'Elanna gave him a look that spoke volumes.

"Chakotay, we've known each other for over a decade. I probably know you better than Janeway or Seven do, which is saying a lot. Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I have to guess?" He sighed. Having her guess would turn out to be a mistake. It would only cause her to grow frustrated with him, which was tantamount to suicide. He might as well come out with it.

"I just sat through yet another meeting where I was overlooked for a posting on a ship," he griped before taking a bite of his soup. It wasn't as good as what he made from scratch, but it was the best he was going to get right now. He lowered his voice and leaned forward. "I have more leadership experience than most of the captains out there in space, but because of my past, they don't trust me. I deserve a posting, B'Elanna. I know I've made many mistakes in the past, but I've redeemed myself; I've done so much for Starfleet."

"You don't need to tell me, Chakotay, but I wouldn't take it personally. Tom's been having the same problem. Janeway keeps pushing for him to be promoted to Commander, but his own father is standing in the way." Based on what Tom had told him about his father and what he saw himself, that didn't surprise Chakotay at all. It was no secret that the relationship between the Paris men was contentious at best, but he never thought that the Admiral would go so far as to stand in the way of his son's growth in Starfleet, especially since he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.

"I'm getting tired of being patient though. I've earned the right to command a ship."

"And you will, just not right now." Chakotay found little consolation in B'Elanna's reassurances. There was no way for her to know if he'd ever get a command position. As far as she knew, he'd be stuck here without a posting for the rest of his career as well, the laughing stock of Starfleet, despite everything he'd done over the years. If Admiral Paris had his way, he'd never have his own ship, and neither were Tom. They were essentially stuck here on Earth until further notice, pushing paper and trying not to feel sorry for themselves until they finally wised up and retire, probably without any honors or commendations.

Normally Seven was highly productive during her office hours, using the time to grade assignments and perfect her lessons. Today, however, her mind was elsewhere. She was charged with the daunting task of thinking of the perfect date for her and Chakotay for the evening. Due to the fact that Mezoti was there, it couldn't be anything elaborate or over the top, but she was confident in her ability to think of something. As of right now, however, the ideas simply weren't coming. There had to be something they could do tonight after Mezoti started her regeneration cycle that would be romantic and a chance for the two of them to reconnect. At the moment, however, nothing immediately came to mind. Everything she thought of either required much more time to plan than she had or the ability to leave the house, which they couldn't do with Mezoti downstairs. She had to think of a date night where they could enjoy each other's company in the comfort of their own home. Thoughts of what to do this evening prevented her from completing the necessary tasks at work. She was most inefficient today. She had to think of something that they could do together to get them out the rut they'd both inadvertently fallen into over the past few weeks. Coming up with ideas for dates had always been a bit of a struggle for her, but, with the help of Neelix, she usually thought of something. Seeing as how he was halfway across the galaxy, however, he could no longer be counted on as a resource. She would have to think of something on her own.

Seven was so distracted by her thoughts and the plans for that evening that still alluded her that she didn't realize what time it was. When her eyes flitted across the clock for a second, however, it dawned on her. She was scheduled to start class in two minutes, and it was a seven minute walk from her office to her classroom. Her heart skipped a beat. She always made sure to be at least ten minutes early to class so she could prepare and start right on time. Due to her negligence, however, this class would have to be a few minutes shorter than the rest of her classes today, which would put them at a significant disadvantage to the rest of her classes. As she gathered up her materials and hustled out the door, Seven tried to think of what she could shorten or even eliminate from her lesson that wouldn't put this class behind the rest of her classes for the day. It was a difficult decision to make, as everything felt absolutely essential, or else she wouldn't have included it. Perhaps if she talked fast enough and eliminated many of the unnecessary questions that seemed to slow her down, she would be able to finish in a timely fashion without eliminating anything. It wasn't a surefire plan, however, because there was no way to determine how fast she would talk and if her increased speed would cause her students more confusion. They would have to adapt, as she still needed to cover all the material in order to be proficient in the Borg.

Thanks to the quick pace at which she walked, Seven was only three minutes late to class, not the five she originally assumed. Of course, she still had to set up, but she could lecture and set up simultaneously. She burst into the lecture hall, causing a hushed silence to fall over the usually boisterous group. Every single cadet looked confused; it wasn't like her to be this late. She kept her usual cool, calm composure, however, as she strode with her head held high to the front of the lecture hall and put her bag down on the podium.

"I apologize for my tardiness," she announced, her voice easily carrying to every corner of the room. "I assure you that I will not hold you over the designated end time because of my ill-preparedness." There seemed to be a collective breath of relief released by all the cadets, as they expected her to hold them late to make up for the late start. "Today we are going to continue on our discussion of the Borg Cube and its components." Several cadets began to take notes on their PADDs while others waited for her to continue before starting their notes. Undeterred, Seven continued to lecture as she set up her presentation, effortlessly multi-tasking like the best of them.

With her arm looped through Axuna's, Mezoti exited the school building. She was starting to see the benefits of having friends her own age. Yes, Naomi Wildman could be considered her friend, but given the fact that she was living with her parents elsewhere, she wasn't readily available to play with. Axuna, on the other hand, was right here with her. Yes, it was inconvenient that they weren't in the same class, but that made lunch and recess that much more enjoyable.

"Do you want to come meet Chakotay?" Mezoti asked. She could see Chakotay standing next to his shuttle from where she stood. Wide eyed, Axuna looked at her friend and shook her head. She'd read so much about Captain Chakotay, she wasn't sure how to act around him, what to say to him. There were so many questions she had, but she didn't want to seem like she was too eager. To her, he was a larger than life figure, someone who existed in the news and books, not someone she could meet face to face, even though he was just a few meters away.

"Oh no," she replied. Mezoti looked visibly disappointed, prompting her to try and think of some excuse as to why she couldn't; it would be rude just to say no. "I, uhh, I need to catch my shuttle home. If I miss it, my mom will kill me. Maybe another day. I promise."

"Okay." Just like that, Mezoti didn't feel quite so awful about Axuna's refusal. She understood the importance of getting home promptly. Besides, she knew how interested Axuna was in _Voyager_ , she would probably want to ask Chakotay a bunch of questions, which would cause her to miss her shuttle and get in trouble. Now probably wasn't the best time to introduce them. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" She sounded hopeful, as if she wasn't sure if Axuna would actually want to spend time with her again tomorrow.

"Yep," she chirped. "Same place before school?"

"That's acceptable to me." She flashed Mezoti a smile before giving her a hug and dashing off in the direction of her shuttle to go home. The hug felt strange to her. He mom and Naomi were the only people who hugged her, so she was unaccustomed to someone she'd only known for a little over twenty-four hours showing her such affection. On the other hand, there was something comforting in the hug; it told her that Axuna really was fond of her as a friend.

As Mezoti approached Chakotay, she swung her backpack off and instinctively handed it over to him. Usually his hand was outstretched, waiting for her backpack. Today, however, she awkwardly held out her backpack for a few seconds before he realized what she was doing. He took the backpack and immediately headed for the shuttle without so much as a greeting, which instantly told her that something was wrong. He always seemed to cheerful to see her. With concern written across her face, she trailed after him.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a genuinely concerned tone as she buckled herself up.

"Nothing,"Chakotay replied with a sigh as he did the same. She knew he was lying. Never before had he acted like this when he picked her up, it was strange to see him like this. Without bothering to check if Mezoti was secure like he usually did, he took off, heading in the direction of home. "How was school today?"

"School was great. Axuna and I talked all during lunch and almost forgot to eat. Then, at recess I showed her how to find bugs under the trees on the edge of the playground. She said that she prefers to study the stars to bugs but she still thought they were interesting. We also talked about books we've read. We haven't read a lot of the same books, but she gave me a few to try, and I did the same." Mezoti continued ramble on, regaling Chakotay with every minute detail of her day, completely oblivious to the fact that his mind was clearly elsewhere. She was finally enjoying herself at school, and she wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.

When they got home, Mezoti practically skipped inside. Chakotay was glad that she was in a good mood. It made him feel better, but only slightly. He still couldn't get over the horrible feeling of being blatantly overlooked for a command...yet again. Even B'Elanna's assurances did nothing to make him feel better, although she wasn't exactly known for her ability to comfort people. It had been nice to talk to someone about how he felt though.

"What are we going to make for dinner tonight?" Mezoti asked eagerly. Cooking dinner with Chakotay was starting to become one of her favorite parts of the evening. It always amazed her that he seemed to know exactly how to prepare a meal so effortlessly without referring to any recipes. Her voice startled him out of his brooding thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, dinner? I don't know. Why don't you get a snack and start your homework first?" Dinner was the last thing on his mind as he headed upstairs to change into his boxing clothes. Perhaps taking his frustration out on his punching bag for a little while would make him feel better; it always had in the past.

Normally when Seven walked in the door she was greeted with the sound of Mezoti talking excitedly to Chakotay while they prepared dinner paired with delicious smells wafting throughout the house. When she entered the house today, however, she was greeted by nothing. Most of the house was eerily dark, there was no chatter and no smells of dinner cooking. Something definitely wasn't right. Cautious of a mysterious threat that might be looming unseen around any corner, she put down her bag and headed down the hall to investigate further.

In the kitchen, Seven found Mezoti sitting alone at the table. The only light came from the lamp hanging above the center of the piece of furniture. The child was completely absorbed by the specimen container in front of her. With her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, she dutifully sketched whatever currently resided in the container. Next to her sat a half eaten bowl of something. There was no formal meal prepared, no table settings carefully laid out, nothing at all to indicate that a family meal had been prepared. All of this was a first for Seven. She had already started to grow accustomed to coming home and finding dinner practically on the table waiting for her, and the fact that there wasn't dinner ready today threw her for a loop.

"Where's Chakotay?" she asked Mezoti as she scrutinized the scene in front of her with an unamused expression on her face. Thoughts of a romantic evening together fled her mind as she grew frustrated with his lack of effort to prepare dinner for the evening.

"I dunno," she replied with a careless shrug as she kept her eyes locked on the bug in front of her. "We came home, he changed and went downstairs."

"So he's downstairs?"

"Uh-huh." Seven felt annoyed. Mezoti could have been more efficient by saying that Chakotay was downstairs in the first place.

"Have you eaten?"

"I replicated myself some macaroni and cheese." She picked up the half-eaten bowl from the table and looked it over. It hardly appeared to be the best meal for a growing girl to eat, it lacked many of the basic nutrients for a child. Seven put down the bowl and pursed her full lips into a fine line. Mezoti could tell from her body language that she was unimpressed.

"That hardly meets your dietary requirements. Replicate yourself a nutritional supplement to go along with your meal." Mezoti opened her mouth to protest, but Seven cut her off curtly, "Comply." Grumbling under her breath, she pushed her chair back and headed over to the replicator. She hated those nutritional supplements, they tasted gross. Having macaroni and cheese for dinner once certainly wouldn't kill her. Satisfied, Seven went downstairs to see what had caused Chakotay to act so uncharacteristically.

Sweat poured down Chakotay's face, dripping from his nose and temples to stain his shirt. All sense of form and style that had been drilled into his head over the years went out the window as he slammed his fists into the punching bag over and over again with a dull _thwap_. He'd lost track of time ages ago and even forgot that Mezoti was upstairs. All he thought about was how insulted he felt. He earned his own command. _Thwap_. He was sick and tired of seeing captains who were greener than Harry Kim had been when he first arrived on _Voyager_ getting ships while he was forced to ride a desk. _Thwap_. The least they could do was admit that they were doing this out of spite and be honest about their motives. _Thwap_. Why bother going through the hassle of promoting someone if you aren't going to give them a ship? _Thwap_. They might as well kept him a commander and let him work under a captain, at least that he'd be in space. His fists pummeled the punching bag, one after the other in a series of attacks against the immobile target.

Seven knew where to find Chakotay downstairs. It wasn't like the basement was very large, but there was only reason for him to change his clothes before coming downstairs. The alcove cast its usual eerie green glow throughout the room as she walked past it towards the small room that Chakotay used for his boxing. Before she opened the door, she could hear the repeated slam of his fists against the punching bag. While she didn't know a lot about boxing, she knew enough to know that something wasn't right. When boxing, the punches were spaced out, perfectly timed following formation and skill. What she heard sounded like repeated blows as all rules were forgotten. This told her that something was wrong, although she already figured as much given the fact that dinner wasn't ready like it was every other night.

Without bothering to knock, Seven pushed open the door and entered the small, dark room, closing the door behind her. Oblivious, Chakotay continued to take out his pent up frustration on his unflinching victim. She stood with her arms folded behind her, observing him with some curiosity on her face. Sweat caused his shirt to cling to his body, allowing her to clearly see his muscles bunch up and relax with each blow. Only when he stopped to grab his water bottle did he realize that he wasn't alone. The sight of her standing only a few feet behind him caused him to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Geez, Seven, you scared me half to death!" he exclaimed before squirting water into his mouth and putting the water bottle back down in the corner out of the way.

"I assure you, that wasn't my intent. I came to see why dinner isn't ready." His face fell and his shoulders slumped at the reminder. He hadn't even realized how late it was, but based on the shadows that crept across the floor and the lack of light that came from the small windows that lined the ceiling, it had to be pretty late.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I got caught up in…" He trailed off. It sounded pathetic to admit that he lost track of time because he was hitting a punching bag over and over again for several hours while leaving Mezoti unsupervised upstairs.

"This meaningless form of violent entertainment." He sighed. That pretty much summed it up.

"Did Mezoti eat?" He hoped she wasn't sitting upstairs, waiting for him to show up and feed her; too nervous to dare interrupt him and remind him that she was upstairs and needed to eat.

"She replicated herself some macaroni and cheese, and I told her to have a nutritional supplement. She is capable of taking care of herself. I'm more concerned about you. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," he lied. While Chakotay may be good at many things, lying definitely wasn't one of them. Unamused, she raised her eyebrow, telling him that she didn't buy his story for a second.

"I was under the impression that we are a part of an open relationship." Seven approached him and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye. "No secrets, remember?" She was right, and he hated that. They always promised each other that no matter what, they'd always be completely honest with each other. It was far better to be angry for being honest than lie and then be angry for lying and whatever they were trying to cover up.

"I was forced to sit through a meeting all morning where it was decided which captains were getting assignments, and, once again, they've overlooked me. I saw a captain who was promoted less than a month ago get a ship, while I served as First Officer for seven years and have been a captain for nearly a year, and I still don't have a ship." He pulled away from her and began to pace anxiously as his voice began to rise with frustration. She'd inadvertently opened a Pandora's Box, and now that it was open, there was no stopping him. "I'm sick and tired of being overlooked. After everything I've done for Starfleet, despite how they treated the Maquis and my people, I've earned that position. I deserve to be a captain with a command, Seven."

"You will get a command," she assured. She reached out instinctively for his hand to stop the exhausting pacing. "Didn't you tell Mezoti that she would make friends, but the right friend hadn't come along yet?" He rolled his eyes. This was an entirely different situation; this was his career he was talking about here. "Perhaps it is a similar situation. The ship that is best suited to you and your skills hasn't come yet, and once it has, you will be grateful that you had to wait."

"This is different."

"Explain." Seven hardly saw how this could be different. Like Mezoti, Chakotay was anxiously waiting for something to happen, something he desperately wanted but couldn't make happen on his own. In her mind, the situations were very similar.

"This is my career. It's an insult to me and my title as captain. Everyone knows that once you're promoted to captain you get a ship, and if you don't, they explain why. Whenever I ask, I'm simply brushed off and told that I'll have to wait. I'm tired of waiting. I want to go back to space."

"Are you unsatisfied with your life here on Earth?" The words flew out before Seven could stop them. She knew that Chakotay was happy was here, but the way he was talking, it sounded like he wasn't, like there was something far better waiting for him out in the vast expanse of space.

"You know that's not true," he argued. "I'm extremely happy right now, but I also want to go back to space. I'm meant to lead, Seven, and right now I'm pushing papers at Starfleet and acting as the token Maquis."

"Going into space won't change the fact that you're Starfleet's token Maquis." He hated how this conversation was going. He had hoped Seven would support him, back him up and tell him that he had every right to be upset. Instead, she was telling him to calm down and be patient.

"But at least I'll be doing what I love!" Chakotay exclaimed. As soon as he said it, he instantly regretted it. Seven's gaze immediately hardened, tell him that he had gone past the point of no return here. He may have been able to talk his way out of his previous comments, but he couldn't now. The implications were clear, and they stung as they hung heavily in the air.

"I'm sorry you aren't doing what you love here at home," she snapped before turning on her heels and stalking out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He really should have kept his mouth shut.

Upstairs, Mezoti could hear Chakotay and her mother arguing. She'd never heard them argue before. In fact, as far as she knew, this was their first argument ever. She tried to focus on her sketches, but she couldn't. She kept trying to figure out what they were arguing about, but all she could hear was raised, muffled voices. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty serious. Chakotay was always so cheerful and constantly seemed to be in a good mood. She'd never seen him like this before, and it made her nervous. She hoped she hadn't done something wrong to upset him.

Seven burst upstairs. Mezoti only had to glance at her for a split second to know that she was still upset. Her pale cheeks were flushed with anger, and her eyes had a steely gaze that usually wasn't there. It unnerved her daughter, who sank back in her chair slightly.

"Are you done your homework?" Seven demanded as she stalked into the kitchen and stood over Mezoti, who looked up at her with her large, brown eyes full of confusion and wariness.

"I, uhh, have a little bit left," she replied.

"Put the bug away and complete your homework. Schoolwork takes priority over other endeavors. When you are done, bring it to me to review. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama," Mezoti muttered as she got to her feet and followed directions obediently. Usually she'd beg for a few more minutes to finish her sketch, as she hated leaving sketches half complete, but she could see in her mother's eyes that she shouldn't argue with her, she wasn't in the mood. With her arms crossed over her chest, Seven watched as Mezoti complied with her directions. At least one person here knew how to behave around here.

With his fight with Seven hanging in the air, Chakotay had a whole new series of reasons to take his anger out on his punching bag. Even after he finished boxing, he stayed hidden in the basement, taking refuge in the small storage room that served a dual purpose as his woodworking studio as well. He wasn't exactly productive down there, but he didn't know what to say to Seven when he faced her. They'd had spats in the past, small arguments and disagreements, but nothing like this before. This was an all out fight, things were said that shouldn't have been, and feelings were hurt. He knew it was his fault, there was no way he could blame Seven on any of this. He shouldn't have said what he did, it wasn't fair to her. He was happy here, he was so glad to have her and Mezoti with him under one roof, and he shouldn't have implied anything to the contrary. It was no wonder she was mad at him. Now, he had to find a way to make it up to her somehow.

As he mounted the two sets of stairs to the master bedroom, Chakotay tried to think of what he could say to Seven to smooth things over. He'd been so wrapped up in feeling sorry for himself that he didn't stop to think about the implications for Seven and Mezoti. His heavy footsteps echoed throughout the silent house. It was nearly 2300 hours, and as far as he knew, Seven was asleep, leaving him alone to his thoughts. Mezoti was regenerating. It felt incredibly invasive as he passed her in the alcove, like he was walking in on someone trying to sleep. She looked so peaceful as the large Borg technology dwarfed her petite frame. It looked so strange, seeing her surrounded by what many would consider frightening Borg components surround such an innocent little girl.

As quietly as possible, Chakotay crept upstairs. When he opened the door to the master bedroom, he saw Seven twitch slightly, telling him that she was pretending to sleep. Instead of bothering her, he headed to the bathroom, where he stripped off his disgusting, sweat covered clothes and threw them carelessly in the closet before stepping in the shower. Usually he showered in the morning before heading to work, but there was no way he was going to crawl into bed covered in sweat and grime from boxing all evening. After showering and pulling on a fresh pair of boxers and undershirt, he crawled into bed next to Seven.

Never before had the large king size bed seemed so large to Chakotay. Usually he and Seven occupied the middle of the bed, curled up together, leaving plenty of room on either side if they needed, not that they needed it. Tonight, however, she was curled up on the far end of the bed, literally as far away from him as she could possible get while still occupying the same bed as him. She was pretending to be asleep, he could sense it in the way she tensed up when he crawled into bed next to her. He knew her well enough to know that she was still pretending to sleep.

"Seven," he said as gently as possible. "Please don't ignore me."

"I'm not ignoring you, I'm simply trying to get adequate sleep so I can function tomorrow," she snapped without bothering to roll over and face him. "I would appreciate it if you allow me to do so."

"No, I won't." His voice was surprisingly firm. Caught off guard, Seven rolled over halfway so she could at least look at him. "I don't believe in going to bed angry, and I need to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn't have said those things, and you have every right to be mad at me. While I do want to return to space, I also want to spend time with you and Mezoti. I look forward to picking her up from school. I enjoy making dinner with her every night. I love getting into bed with you and falling asleep with you in my arms." He slid closer to her and ran his fingertips along her arm lightly. "I love you," he murmured tenderly. It was a nice little speech, but she was still angry with him. He'd gone too far this time. He couldn't say that he only wanted to return to space and then a few hours later say that he loved her; it didn't work that way.

"If you feel so strongly about me, why are you so eager to leave?" Seven asked bluntly. Chakotay stopped to think. He knew he had to pick his words carefully, as she was looking for a very specific response. He had to be careful here, because one wrong word could make everything worse.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess I need to feel validated, that I can have a strong career that you can be proud of. What good is saying your boyfriend is a Starfleet captain if he doesn't have a starship under his command?" Her gaze softened as she rolled over completely and slid closer so they were only about a foot apart.

"I am proud of you," she assured as she rested her hand on his cheek, stroking it affectionately with her finger. "You are an accomplished Starfleet officer, a wonderful boyfriend and have gone out of your way to ensure Mezoti's comfort here. All of that is more than anyone can ever ask from a partner." She paused for a moment. She too was trying to choose her words carefully. "But I do feel that you are so focused on acquiring a posting that you have forgotten that that would mean leaving Mezoti and myself behind." He shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted her to think. Yes, he wanted a command, but, at the same time, he didn't want to leave them behind; it left him feeling torn. There was one solution, a solution he knew many captains had done over the years.

"If I get a ship, I want you both to come with me." He sounded eager at the prospect of the two of them joining him on this hypothetical posting. It would give him the best of both worlds, a command and the love of his life by his side. "I can't imagine leaving you, even for a second." Seven looked reluctant.

"Starships are no place to raise a child."

"Maybe not starships in the Delta Quadrant, but this is the Alpha Quadrant, it's much safer here."

"But there are still many dangers that could befall a ship, and I don't want to put Mezoti in that kind of danger." Now it was Seven's turn to get upset. "You say you care about her, but you would be willing her put her in harm's way." Chakotay shook his head. He was exhausted, and they were starting to argue about something he wasn't sure would ever happen. It was a waste of time and energy for both of them.

"Let's not fight anymore," he pleaded desperately. "Especially about hypothetical situations that will probably never happen. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. It's inefficient to argue about the unknown. All I know is that my wonderful girlfriend has decided to forgive me after I acted like an ass and ruined our date night." The date night seemed so trivial now. In a strange twist of fate, this fight had probably done more to strengthen their relationship than any date night probably could have. It allowed them to express their emotions freely and talk through the repercussions afterwards. While it may not have been the most efficient or comfortable way to handle things, it got the job done, and their relationship was stronger because of it.

 **Author's Note:** So, what do you think? Be sure to let me know with a review.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Six weeks flew by for Chakotay and Seven in the blink of an eye. A comfortable routine had been established by the couple and Mezoti. They began to enjoy each other's company and settle into a life together. With each passing day, Mezoti became more comfortable in her own skin and slowly transformed into the bubbly, sometimes troublesome, little girl she'd been on _Voyager_ , which was a huge relief to Seven and Chakotay, who had come to care deeply about her without even realizing it. Not only did she find that she enjoyed school, but she also enjoyed spending time at home. Several nights a week, she cooked dinner with Chakotay. It was a chance for them to talk about their days and to get to know each other. It was something both of them looked forward to. With each passing day, their relationship became stronger, which was a huge relief to Seven, who only wanted everything to be perfect. Now, after a month and a half, it finally was.

Unfortunately, everything wasn't as perfect for Chakotay, although he couldn't complain about how things were at home. He was still stuck on Earth, a captain without a starship. After his fight with Seven, however, he realized that he should appreciate what he had here. He had a beautiful girlfriend who he loved more than anything else in the galaxy. He also had a beautiful little girl at home who he cared for deeply. It was far more than he ever imagined he'd have. In his first years on _Voyager_ , he always assumed he'd shed his Starfleet roots and rejoin the Maquis after returning to Earth. Then, when he heard that the Maquis was gone, he assumed he'd get a little apartment, nothing more than a pathetic bachelor pad and live out his days quietly and in obscurity. Never did he think that he'd have a house in the suburbs with a girlfriend and a kid; he never thought of himself as a family man in any capacity. Now that he had it and actually took the time to enjoy this lifestyle, he couldn't imagine it any other way.

After a long day at work, Chakotay couldn't wait to go home. He knew his day wasn't over, he still had to pick up Mezoti and make dinner, but at least he could get out of here and relax a little with people he cared about. It was his one consolation to the menial tasks the admirals had him completing on a daily basis.

As he walked down the corridor, he heard someone call, "Chakotay!" He turned around and saw B'Elanna jogging up to him with a smile plastered across her face at the sight of her close friend. He didn't look as thrilled. Not that he didn't want to see her, he was just ready to get out of here. "You leaving?" she asked as she slowed to a stop next to him and noticed his bag in his hand.

"Yeah, I have to go pick up Mezoti from school," he replied as he kept walking. She snorted and chuckled, causing his gaze to harden. "What's so funny?"

"You've become a family man," she teased, playfully elbowing him in the ribs. "Next thing you know, you'll be signed up for carpool to peewee hoverball games."

"That's not going to happen." It sounded like Chakotay was trying to convince himself more than B'Elanna, which only caused her to laugh louder. Just like him, parenthood had snuck up on her and Tom. Before, her husband used to enjoy late nights on the holodeck running one of his dumb programs and then come home to drink and watch that stupid television she made the mistake of building him. Now, it was a wild night if they got Miral asleep before 2100 hours so they could steal a few minutes alone together before going to bed early. How times had changed.

"So how is fatherhood?" she asked.

"I'm not a father," Chakotay blurted out rather quickly, which only made her more suspicious. "I'm, uh...ummm…" He trailed off. It was difficult to determine what he was to Mezoti. He figured he could classify his relationship with her as a stepfather/stepdaughter relationship, even if he wasn't actually married to Seven. The idea of being a father, however, especially to a nine year old girl, startled him, even though they'd been living under the same roof for six weeks now. He just hadn't thought of her that way, although he could understand why B'Elanna would think of him and Mezoti like that. Still, it was difficult for him to wrap his mind around what they were to each other.

"Do you take care of her?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you worry about her?"

"Of course I do."

"And you want her to have a good life."

"Absolutely." She patted him on the arm.

"I hate to tell you, Chakotay, but you're her father or as close to a father as she's going to get." He sighed. As uncomfortable as it made him, he had to admit that she was right. "Think about it, she's never really had a father figure, at least not one that she can remember, and here you are, the only grown man in her life who is doing something for her. You're the only father figure she's had in her life."

"I'm not her father," Chakotay snapped. Normally he was pretty patient with B'Elanna, but there was something about her insistence that rubbed him the wrong way. He cared deeply about Mezoti, almost as much as he cared about Seven, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to call himself her father yet, not even her stepfather. Right now, he was just Chakotay to her, nothing more, nothing less. He needed time to process this.

"Then what are you?"

"I don't know," he admitted softly.

"Well you better figure it out, because it's only going to get more complicated." As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right. He would have to figure out his relationship with Mezoti, because she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, not that he wanted her to. Sooner or later, this was going to come up in conversation with her, she was already so curious and smart for her age, and when the time came, he knew he had to have a good answer.

At school, Chakotay waited patiently for Mezoti to appear. The entire time, he couldn't help but think about his conversation with B'Elanna. The conversation made him feel nervous about picking up Mezoti, which was something he'd never before experienced. Normally, he felt excited to pick her up, especially after her friendship with Axuna blossomed. She always seemed to be in a good mood and eager to talk about every detail of her day, no matter how trivial it may be, which helped distract him from the stress he felt at work. While some people might find the chatter obnoxious, Chakotay actually looked forward to it, he wanted to know what she was learning in school and what she and Axuna spent the day doing. In a way, it reassured him that she was settling in comfortably.

Mezoti skidded to a stop in front of Chakotay and chirped, "Hi, Chakotay." A smile flashed across her face, instantly bringing him back to reality. All thoughts of his conversation with B'Elanna scattered. Now, he had to turn all his attention to Mezoti, who demanded a surprising amount of attention for someone her age.

"Hey," he said as he returned the smile and took her backpack like he did every day. "How was school today?"

"It was good. Axuna gave me a list of books to read. I have it on my PADD. I recognized a few of the titles, but not many." Now that Mezoti had started talking, there was no stopping her.

"Well, you can look through the replicator database, I'm sure you'll be able to find some of them there. If they aren't there, we may be able to find them in the Starfleet library." He doubted any of the books wouldn't be available in the replicator database, it was pretty extensive. They took their seats in the shuttle and buckled up. Once he was sure Mezoti was secure in her seat, Chakotay started up the shuttle and headed home.

"I hope so. Axuna and I haven't read similar books, and I want to be able to talk to her about the books we've read."

"Well now you have a list of books to read. That should keep you busy for a while."

"I hope so." An avid reader himself, Chakotay was glad that Mezoti was starting to love to read as much as he did. He was also glad that she was enjoying herself with Axuna. It didn't bother him that she only had one friend. To him, it was better to have one or two close friends instead of many not as supportive friends. She was happy, and that was all that mattered.

After spending some time doing homework, Mezoti abandoned her work for the time being. She was about to go downstairs to help Chakotay make dinner. Based on the clatter of pots and pans, he had already started preparing a meal without her. The notion of being late and missing something caused her to scurry downstairs, her feet falling heavily against the wooden steps. Eager to help, she jumped off the last two steps, causing the foyer to tremble under the sudden addition of weight. Undeterred, she dashed down the hall, jumping down the steps into the living room before leaping up the steps once again into the kitchen in a single bound. Already, Chakotay had laid out the ingredients and utensils necessary to prepare tonight's meal. From what she could tell, he had already started some of the early preparations. From where she stood, it was hard to tell what he'd gotten out, but there appeared to be a handful of bowls and a small collection of brightly colored bell peppers, but those were the only vegetables in sight, leaving her intrigued about what was for dinner.

"You started without me," she stated, crestfallen.

"No, I wouldn't dream of it," he assured. "I was just about to call you." He glanced at the kitchen chair in its usual pre-dinner spot at the counter, waiting for Mezoti to appear. "Come on, we have to get started." Smiling, she climbed up on the chair and looked at all the ingredients spread out in front of her.

"What are we making tonight?"

"Stuffed peppers filled with couscous and lentils," he replied. "Does that meet your culinary critique?" She thought about it. She'd never had stuffed peppers before, but she had had couscous, lentils and peppers, just not all together. If she liked them separately, she figured she would like them all mixed together too.

"It sounds delicious. What can I do to help?"

"I need you to cut the peppers in half. Watch." With extreme concentration, Mezoti watched as Chakotay cut one of the peppers in half, ready to imitate him when he gave her control. "Think you can handle it?"

"I think I can." He handed over the knife and turned his attention to putting the lentils on the stove to cook. In the back of his mind, he could hear Seven chastise him for letting Mezoti use a knife, but he was right there with her just in case something went wrong. Besides, it wasn't a very sharp knife, just enough to get the job done without too many difficulties.

As he cooked, Chakotay couldn't help but think about his conversation with B'Elanna. Obviously he cared about Mezoti, and, as strange as it sounded, he couldn't imagine cooking dinner without her. She was an eager culinary student and a welcomed extra pair of hands. Still, B'Elanna's conversation still consumed his thoughts, and he wondered what Mezoti thought about their relationship. Simply asking her if she thought of him as her father would be a bit too much though, he had to go about this is a more delicate manner.

"Mezoti, are you happy here?" he asked out of the blue as he stirred the lentils carefully. Confused, she glanced over her shoulder. Normally their conversations while they cooked were easy going and about her day, not paired with deep questions such as that.

"Of course I am. Why would I be?" she asked with a shrug. The very notion of her being unhappy here seemed ridiculous. Chakotay had gone out of his way to ensure her comfort, and the very suggestion that she was unhappy didn't make any sense to her. She thought back to her behavior over the past week, wondering if she'd somehow inadvertently given him the impression that she wasn't happy here, but she couldn't think of anything.

"I don't know. I just wanted to make sure you're comfortable here."

"You have gone out of your way to ensure my comfort here for the past six weeks. I am extremely grateful for everything you've done for me and Mama." She glanced at him over her shoulder. "You have been very kind to both of us, and I enjoy being here with you. I like that you've taught me to cook, and I really enjoy school." She turned her attention to back to cutting up the peppers as she spoke. "I know that Mama is happy too. She's always smiling, she didn't used to do that before. When we first got back to the Alpha Quadrant, she seemed sad all the time. I think it was because she didn't get to see you as often." The way Mezoti spoke, she was so matter-of-fact, as if she was just reporting the weather for the day. The news caused Chakotay to smile and even blush slightly, although it was hard to tell with his bronzed skin. He did notice that Seven seemed much more cheerful the past few weeks, although he didn't want to take all the credit, he simply thought she'd finally adjusted to life here on Earth. Mezoti looked over her shoulder and said, "She really loves you, you know."

"Well I really love her too." Mezoti turned back to the peppers. She was so distracted by her conversation with Chakotay that she wasn't fully paying attention to what she was doing. As a result, when she went to slice open another pepper, she ended up slicing her finger as well.

"Oh. Ow!" she exclaimed louder than she intended. Thick blood darkened by nanoprobes oozed through the wound, slowly dripping on the counter. She dropped the knife with a loud clatter, instantly catching Chakotay's attention.

Momentarily abandoning his cooking, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just cut myself."

"That doesn't sound like nothing." He took her hand in his and carefully examined the wound. It wasn't anything serious, but it definitely needed his attention. The wound ran the length of her finger from her second joint all the way up to the tip. It really was an impressive wound, albeit not as serious as it could have been. He grabbed a napkin from the counter and wrapped it around her finger to stem the bleeding and prevent her from getting blood all over the place. "Come on, there's a medkit upstairs in the bathroom." He lifted Mezoti down off the chair and hustled her upstairs quickly, making sure to turn down the stove in the process so they didn't end up burning dinner.

In the bathroom, Chakotay lifted Mezoti up on the countertop. Her bare feet swung back and forth, mindlessly kicking one of the cabinet doors while he dug around in the other cabinet for the medkit. She'd been in the master bedroom dozens of times, sometimes in passing, sometimes to crawl into bed with her Mama and Chakotay, but she never really ventured into the bathroom, not when she had her own bathroom right down the hall. It certainly was an impressive bathroom, far better than the little room she had all to herself. Since the two of them shared the bathroom, it made sense that it was larger. With a flick of his wrist, Chakotay opened the medkit and produced a simple dermal regenerator. It wasn't as fancy as the one on _Voyager_ , but it got the job done.

"Let me see," he prompted as he unwrapped her finger and examined the wound. With his brows knit together in concentration, he carefully analyze her finger, which immediately started to bleed once again. He shook his head in disbelief, which caused Mezoti to worry. It didn't hurt that much, so, in her mind, it couldn't be that bad. "We may need to amputate," he stated in a serious voice. At first blush, she actually believed him, why wouldn't she?

"It's not that serious," she argued indignantly. Now was hardly the time to be making such diagnoses.

"Oh, it's quite serious. We may have to amputate the entire arm." Although his expression was dead serious, a sparkle in his deep brown eyes told her that he was just teasing her to distract her from the discomfort she currently felt. Her hand was dwarfed in comparison to his as he gently held onto her wrist, keeping her hand turned palm up. She smiled as he ran the dermal regenerator over her finger, instantly healing the wound and alleviating her discomfort. "Oh yes, this probably the most serious injury I've ever seen. If the Doctor were here, he'd undoubtedly agree with me."

"You're not authorized to perform amputations," Mezoti challenged playfully, deciding to go along with the playful teasing.

"What's there to know? You simply cut off the limb and hope for the best."

"That's a primeval method of amputation. It could hardly be considered medical practice. Besides, amputation isn't really performed anymore, not with the use of modern medicine."

"It's a good thing we have dermal regenerators then." For good measure, Chakotay looked over the finger one last time. It was as good as new. "There you go." He lifted Mezoti to the ground. "Now be more careful or else your mother won't let you help me cook anymore. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir." Completely unfazed by her injury, Mezoti rushed back downstairs, taking the stairs two at a time, with Chakotay trailing after her. They were running a few minutes behind on cooking dinner, and he hoped that nothing had been burned in the process. They still had a lot of work to do.

As Seven walked into the kitchen a little while later, she was greeted by Mezoti giggling as she set the table. She never before thought a sound could be beautiful, but that was before she grew to regard Mezoti as her daughter and wanted nothing more than her happiness. When the child saw her, she smiled and temporarily abandoned her task of setting the table to greet her and give her with her customary hug.

"Hi Mama," she greeted as she threw her arms around her waist. Seven returned the affection and smoothed down her hair before kissing her forehead softly. "How was work?"

"The Academy was adequate. Nothing significant happened. How was school?" Mezoti released Seven and went back to setting the table as she spoke. Now that her mama was home, they could start dinner, which smelled delicious.

"School was good. Axuna gave me a list of books to read. I looked through the replicator database and already replicated two of them. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to read, so I thought I'd read both at the same time." Once she started talking about school, there was no stopping her. She immediately launched into every little miniscule detail of her day, making sure not to leave anything out as she continued to set the table. With surprising patience that she didn't have for many other people, Seven listened attentively to every detail, making the appropriate sounds of approval at the right times. Chakotay put the platter of stuffed peppers on the table before looping his arm around Seven's waist and kissed her cheek softly. She returned the affection by wrapping her arm around his waist and giving him a squeeze. It was an action that came as second nature to both of them, a simple way for them to show their devotion to each other while Mezoti chattered on, completely oblivious. Once she was done setting the table, she took a seat and waited for Seven and Chakotay to join her. She was hungry, and the food smelled delicious; she didn't want to wait any longer.

After dinner, which was just as delicious as Mezoti hoped it would be, she curled up on the armchair with one of her new books while Chakotay sat on the couch nearby with one of his own books. It had been a while since he'd had time to actually sit down and read, and he was determined to enjoy it while he could. As tempted as she was to disappear into her office upstairs to grade some papers, Seven ultimately decided against it. Although tonight wasn't scheduled for family time, she could see that this was where she needed to be to enjoy some impromptu time together. Anything to help strengthen their family bond was crucial. Not in the mood to read a book, she ran her fingertips over the top of the piano. The instrument had sat there, unused for the past month and a half, a gracious gift from Chakotay that she hadn't taken the time to properly appreciate by playing it. Every time she thought about playing it, something else came up that seemed more important. She also hadn't played in months, almost a year, and she felt self-conscious about playing in front of an audience, even if it was just Chakotay and Mezoti, who wouldn't care if she sounded awful.

"Are you going to play?" Chakotay asked as he glanced up from his book. In all honesty, he forgot about the instrument, which was ironic given how large it was and the fact that he walked past it several times a day. After a few weeks, it had become little more than another piece of furniture in the house.

"I'm considering it," she replied. "I have not had the chance to practice for several months."

"I'm sure you'll sound beautiful nonetheless, babe. It's like riding a bicycle, you never really forget how to play. Not to mention your eidetic memory probably helps a little bit." Feeling encouraged, Seven sat at the piano and opened it up. Her fingers brushed over the keys as she tried to think of what to play. Dozens of different songs came to mind. Rather than over think things, she allowed her fingers to take control, picking the song for her, allowing her to get lost in the music.

Almost instantly, beautiful music filled the room as Chopin flowed effortlessly from the piano. While some may struggle with the more complex pieces such as Chopin, Seven's quick thinking and high mental capacity made it easy to for her to memorize and play pieces that others would normally struggle with. The music drew Mezoti out of her book. Almost in a trance-like state, she abandoned her book and crossed the room. She stood at one end of the piano with her elbows propped up against the wooden frame and watched as her mother played. She always knew that her mother could play the piano, but she'd never actually seen her do so with her own eyes; it was like a secret that she save for her private time on the holodeck. Watching her play was almost as beautiful as the music itself. She couldn't look away from the way her fingers floated over the keys, knowing exactly which ones to play and when. Some keys she held for longer periods of time, while others she barely tapped before moving on to the next keys. She made it look so easy, like anyone could do it, but Mezoti knew otherwise. Without realizing it, she began to sway to the music, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she stood, transfixed by the sound.

Chakotay glanced up from his book and smiled when he saw Mezoti swaying back and forth to the music. He too put his book to the side and got to his feet. In order to make room, he pushed the coffee table to the side, creating a large open space in the middle of the room. Both Seven and Mezoti were so wrapped up in the music that neither of them noticed. Only when Chakotay tapped Mezoti on the shoulder did she notice that he wasn't reading anymore.

"May I have this dance?" he asked as he bowed dramatically and stretched out his hand. She eyed his suspiciously as if he had some sort of ulterior motive that she couldn't quite figure out. She'd never danced before in her life, at least not that she could remember, and therefore didn't know how. It seemed easy enough, you just move to the music just like she'd just been doing a few moments earlier, but she still felt hesitant. Nervously, she chewed on her bottom lip while trying to make up her mind. It was hard to say no when she looked in his pleading eyes. In a way, he seemed desperate for her approval, but she couldn't figure out why this would mean so much to him. He wouldn't care if she couldn't dance, it was just the three of them having some fun together. A smile spread across her face as she took his hand, his large one instantly eveloping her significantly smaller one. Almost immediately, he twirled her, causing her hair to flair out around her in all directions. Mezoti couldn't help but laugh. Chakotay did his best to put his free hand on the small of her back, but it was difficult given her diminutive stature, so he instead opted for between her shoulder blades. Since she couldn't reach to put her hand on his shoulder, she settled for gripping his arm instead.

Chakotay and Mezoti swayed back and forth to the music in the middle of the living room. He could tell that she felt reluctant about dancing. Her movements were stiff, as if she was analyzing the music and trying to determine the best way to move her body instead of opting to let the music tell her how to move. As a result, they were mostly swaying from side to side awkwardly. He might not be the best dancer, but he knew enough, and he wanted to show her how much fun it could be. It was a gradual process that started with taking slightly bigger strides when moving to break them out of the rut they'd fallen into while swaying back and forth. Slowly, they went from awkwardly shifting their weight from one foot to the other to moving around the small space Chakotay had cleared away. He could feel her relax in his arms a little bit more with each passing minute. Feeling daring, he even twirled her again, this time going for two spins in a row. Giggling, she held on to his hand for dear life until hd pulled her closer once again, and they went back to their previous dancing.

The laughing caught Seven's attention. Curious as to what was going on behind her, she glanced over her shoulder and watched as Chakotay effortlessly danced with Mezoti. Both of them had smiles on their faces, and he looked down at her with adoring eyes in a gaze that he usually reserved for looking at Seven Momentarily forgetting about the piano, emotion overcame her. It wasn't emotion regarding the duo, but emotion relating to the memories that flashed before her eyes without any warning. All of a sudden, she remembered being back on _The Raven_. She was a little girl, only a few years younger than Mezoti, dancing with her father, weaving their way amongst the computer consoles on the bridge. Music floated out of the speakers mounted into the walls of the ship as he twirled and spun her across the bridge of the small ship while her mother stood to the side and laughed at the sight. It was a rare memory from her childhood and showed her that, at least for a little while, she'd had a completely normal upbringing, similar to the one she was trying to give Mezoti, up until the Borg showed up that is.

The cessation of the music caused Chakotay and Mezoti to suddenly stop dancing; they couldn't dance without any music. Mezoti pouted. As reluctant as she'd been to dance with Chakotay, now she didn't want it to end. Now she understood why grownups liked to dance, it was a lot of fun. She didn't want it to stop.

"Mama, why did you stop?" she asked as she pulled free from Chakotay and turned to face her mother. There was clear disappointment written across her face that caused Seven's heart to break. She hadn't meant to disappoint her.

"I apologize," she stammered as she chased away the memories that plagued her by brushing a loose strand of hair that had broken free from her French twist behind her ear. Chakotay could see in her eyes that something was bothering her. She looked visibly shaken, and he couldn't figure out why. Just a few minutes ago, everything had been fine, better than fine actually.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he approached her, momentarily forgetting about Mezoti.

"I am undamaged," she replied as she turned around and started playing the piano once again. Now wasn't the time to discuss the forgotten memory, as it wasn't something to talk about in front of Mezoti. With any luck, Chakotay would forget about the entire incident; it wasn't a big deal anyway.

Forgetting about her mother's strange behavior as soon as they started dancing, Mezoti was all smiles as, song after song, she danced with Chakotay. Not once did he complain or say that he was tired of dancing even though he'd had a long day at work. Instead, he twirled her around the room, spinning and even dipping her, causing her to throw her head back and laugh with delight. The sound was music to both his and Seven's ears. It was a sign that she was utterly happy and well-adjusted, a sign that they had done something right in terms of ensuring she was happy here.

After nearly forty-five minutes of nonstop playing, Seven finally stopped. It was getting late, and Mezoti had to get up for school the next day, not to mention that she was tired and she imagined Chakotay was tired as well, although he didn't look tired. Instead, he looked thrilled and completely devoted to keeping Mezoti entertained.

"Why did you stop?" Mezoti asked with a pout as she let go of Chakotay. He took advantage of the break to sit down on the couch. When he first asked her to dance, he didn't expect to keep dancing for so long, not that he was complaining; he rather enjoyed himself. He'd danced so few times in his life, but he discovered that he really enjoyed it.

"It's late, you need to get ready to bed," Seven replied.

"Just one more song?"

"Comply." Mezoti's little face fell. She knew that tone, it meant that she had to listen to what her mother said or else there would be consequences. Hopefully there would be plenty of other opportunities for the two of them to dance in the future.

"Yes, Mama," she muttered as her shoulder slumped dejectedly. She turned to Chakotay and threw her arms around his neck. "Goodnight, Chakotay." As if the hug wasn't enough to catch him off guard, she planted a firm kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, uhh…" He returned the hug and stroked her hair affectionately. "Goodnight, Mezoti." She pulled away from her and gave Seven an equally enthusiastic hug and kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, Mama. I love you."

"Goodnight, Mezoti. I love you too." Seven smoothed Mezoti's hair back and kissed her forehead. "Now, go to bed." Still pouting because she wanted to stay, Mezoti headed upstairs. Now that she'd stopped dancing, she was getting a little tired, not that she'd actually admit that aloud because then it would mean that her mom was right to stop even though they were having fun.

Finally alone, Seven abandoned the piano and sat on the couch next to Chakotay. He immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close as she turned her body so she could curl up next to him with her hand resting on his chest. Their bodies molded together perfectly, as if they were meant to be together like this.

"Thank you for dancing with Mezoti," she commented as she looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers that always made his heart flutter.

"You're acting like it was a chore I had to complete, Seven. I enjoyed it. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to." He brushed his lips across her forehead. "Although, there's something I want now."

She raised her eyebrow in intrigue and stated, "Explain." He kissed her softly.

"Now I want to dance with you," he murmured against her lips.

Without waiting for Seven to respond, Chakotay stood up and pulled her to her feet. As his strong arm circled her slender waist, her hand instinctively rested on his shoulder. They'd danced together several times, but it had always been at a Starfleet function celebrating _Voyager_ 's return, in front of dozens of other people. Never before had they spontaneously started dancing in the middle of their living room like this; it felt strange to her.

"There's no music," she pointed out bluntly as they began to sway back and forth awkwardly, just like ha and Mezoti had done. Normally, they were far more graceful. "While I am skilled at multitasking, I can't play the piano and dance with you simultaneously."

"Well, it's a good thing we have a computer with an entire database of musical selections," he pointed out as he twirled Seven. "Computer, play music playlist Chakotay Alpha Three." The computer beeped as it complied. Almost instantly, easy going jazz music flowed out from the speakers hidden in the walls around the room. It wasn't the same as the classical music she usually listened to, but she would adapt. This music was just as pleasing to her.

Once they had music, it became easier for Seven and Chakotay to dance together. He took the lead as they twirled around the small makeshift dance floor, their hips swaying together in unison. Unlike Mezoti, Seven was somewhat more comfortable with dancing, and it was made significantly easier by the fact that the dance partners were both the same size. As they moved, he dipped his head down, resting it next to hers.

"I love you," he murmured in her ear, his warm breath tickling her sensitive skin and sending shivers down her spine.

"I love you too." Without warning, he twirled her again before drawing her close against his broad chest. This time, her hand rested on the back of his neck, drawing small circles along the base of his skull. "Would now be an inappropriate time to ask a question?'

"Of course not." The song changed, but that didn't stop them from swaying to the music. With the onset of a conversation, however, they did little more than sway back and forth in each other's arms. It didn't matter to them, all they wanted to do was spend time together.

"Are you happy that Mezoti and I are here?" The question surprised Chakotay because he had just had a similar conversation with Mezoti a few hours earlier. There was no way for Seven to know that, making this purely coincidental.

"Of course I am. Everyday I wake up with a smile on my face because I'm in bed with the most beautiful woman in the galaxy."

Although a warm blush of flattery crept across her cheeks, Seven commented, "You are over exaggerating. I am hardly the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, and there is no way you could possibly wake up that happy every morning." Chakotay trailed his fingers up and down along her spine mindlessly, causing her to shiver with delight and move closer against him.

"Is it safe to assume that my presence is the reason for such happiness?"

"Of course it is." He paused. "I was worried when you and Mezoti first moved in," he confessed, figuring they were having an open and candid conversation. There were no secrets between them. "I knew it was a big step in our relationship, and I knew it would only be made more complicated with Mezoti here, but now I can't imagine it any other way."

"Mezoti appears to have taken an interest in you," Seven stated. "I, too, was concerned about her adjusting to these new living arrangements, but she has adapted."

"Well, she has a wonderful mother." She blushed once again. She had no idea how, but Chakotay always managed to flatter her; he saw the best in her when she couldn't even see it herself. In a way, it made her feel bad, because she was not as skilled at showering him with such uplifting compliments. What came so easily to him was a struggle to her. She wished there was a way for her to show him how much all of this meant to her. He'd uprooted his life, took on a child he didn't sign up for and now gave her his unwavering attention day after day without asking for anything in return. Seven felt that she didn't deserve him, although she knew he'd argue to the contrary.

"She also has you," she pointed out. It may not have been as wonderful a compliment, but the smile on Chakotay's face told her that he found the statement just as flattering as any compliment he gave her.

As Mezoti emerged from the bathroom after brushing her teeth and hair, she could hear music and laughter from downstairs. She knew she had to obey her mother and go to bed, but she also wanted to see what was going on downstairs; it sounded far more exciting than retreating to her room for the night. Besides, it was only a few more minutes and then she was going to bed, so, technically, she wasn't breaking any rules, just bending them slightly. Despite the fact that she was always running late in the morning, she typically woke up with plenty of time to spare, so she could sacrifice a few minutes to see what was going on. Besides, she always wondered what her mama and Chakotay did after she went to sleep; she couldn't be blamed for being curious.

Mezoti pulled up the bottom of her light purple nightgown, giving her more freedom to move as she tiptoed downstairs, making sure not to make any noise. As she did, she tried to come up with excuse in case she was caught, as her mother would undoubtedly be displeased if she saw her out of bed and spying on them. Finally, she decided that she would say that she was thirsty and came down for a glass of water, ignoring the fact that she could get that upstairs. The jazz music got louder as Mezoti got closer to the living room. Tentatively, she poked her head around the corner, giving her a perfect view of Chakotay dipping Seven. Some time between when Mezoti went upstairs and when she came back down, her mother hand let her hair down from its French twist, causing it to cascade to her shoulders in delicate waves; it was a rare treat to see her hair down, usually right when she woke up, she pinned it back and kept it that way until she went back to bed. She always thought that her Mama was gorgeous, but she thought she was even more beautiful with her hair down like that. Seven smiled and gripped Chakotay's arm tightly as he dipped her so low that her hair almost grazed the floor. Mezoti could see the love in his eyes as he gazed at her and pulled her upright once again. He buried his face in her hair as they twirled around the small dancefloor to the music. The love the couple felt each other seeped out, reaching every corner of the room, just like the music. It was so present, Mezoti almost felt like she could reach out and touch it. This was a couple in love, a couple destined to last until the end of time, and she felt special for being able to witness private moments like this that demonstrated that undying devotion to each other.

Feeling that she as intruding on some sort of private moment between her mother and Chakotay, Mezoti crept back upstairs and retreated to her bedroom after a few minutes, no matter how much she loved watching them dance. While she felt that she had discovered some sort of secret between the couple, she was also glad that she'd seen it. She turned off the overhead lights and crawled into bed where she turned on the light next to her bed. She picked up one of her new books recommended by Axuna and began to read. Seven told her to get ready for bed, and part of her nighttime routine included reading for a little while. Besides, her mother was a little too distracted to even notice if she stayed up to read for a little while.

The following morning, Chakotay's alarm sliced through the early morning silence, instantly rousing him his sleep. A heavy sleeper, he had to set his alarm slightly louder than standard to ensure he actually woke up. Grumbling under his breath, he rolled over and slammed his hand down on the offending piece of equipment, instantly silencing it. Still partially asleep, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Seven still didn't need to get up for another half an hour, prompting him to stay as quiet as possible so he didn't wake her, although he knew that his alarm woke her every morning. He wished he didn't need to set his alarm so loudly, but they both had to adapt. She rolled over away from him and pulled the quilt around her tightly as she curled up in a tight ball with only the top of her blonde hair poking out, sticking up all over the place and looking uncharacteristically chaotic. He closed the bathroom door so the light didn't wake her as he started his morning routine.

Still clothed in just his boxers and undershirt, Chakotay emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. Before he could continue with his morning routine, he needed coffee. Still waking up, he ran his hand over his face. He'd stayed up later than he should have last night, but it was well worth it, because he'd enjoyed his time with Seven. With Mezoti's terrible knack for interrupting them at the worst possible moment, it was increasingly difficult for them to have a few moments together just the two of them. Last night had been a unique opportunity, and both of them had taken full advantage of it, not knowing when they'd be able to have some alone time like that again.

As soon as Chakotay reached for the bedroom door, Seven muttered from her position curled up on the bed, "You lied to me." For someone who still had half an hour to enjoy sleep, she sounded surprisingly awake. His heart skipped a beat as his mind raced and tried to think of what he'd done wrong. To his knowledge, he hadn't ever lied to Seven, they had a completely open and honest relationship. She sounded so sure of herself, however, meaning he must have messed up and lied at some point or else she wouldn't have made such an accusation. He better figure out what he lied about and quick before they started fighting; it was far too early for them to start fighting, and it would put him in a terrible mood for the rest of the day.

"Excuse me?" Temporarily abandoning his thoughts of getting coffee, Chakotay sat on the edge of the bed next to Seven's legs as she rolled onto her back to look at him properly. He desperately tried to read her face to see what he had done to mess up, but it was impossible, she looked completely serious, which told him that this wasn't one of her attempts to joke around with him.

"Last night, you told me that you wake up every morning with a smile. Well, I saw you wake up this morning, and there was no smile on your face." A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as her eyes sparkled playfully. Although her tone was completely serious and deadpan, Chakotay knew her well enough to know that she was teasing him. She was getting better at this whole teasing business; she should have become an actress instead of teaching at the Academy.

"Well, maybe I wasn't smiling because I had to get out of bed and leave you behind," he countered as he leaned forward. She took advantage of the close proximity and put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down in a firm kiss. She had to admit, it was a good comeback.

"If only you didn't have to leave," she whispered against his lips. Her hand drifted down along his back and slid under his shirt where she mindlessly traced circles along the smooth flesh. Her touch was enough to make him want to crawl back into bed, but he knew that he had to get his day started or else he'd be late. As much as he didn't want to, he couldn't give in to temptation.

"Tonight, my love," he murmured before kissing her one last time. She opened her mouth to tell him that she needed to regenerate tonight but ultimately decided against it. She would find a way to spend time with Chakotay before regenerating. She always found a way to make it work, she always found a way to adapt.

 **Author's Note:** What did you think? I have to admit, this is one of my favorite chapters so far, I hope you loved it as much as I did. Leave me a review to let me know.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Anxiety consumed Seven as she paced nervously in the living room, her eyes sweeping across the room for anything that might be out of place. As she did so, she noticed one of Mezoti's books, still left out on the coffee table despite the fact that she'd told her time and time again to clean up her mess. Her anxiety was temporarily replaced with frustration. She'd lost track of the number of times she'd told her to clean up after herself, but apparently she'd ignored her. She didn't feel that she was being unreasonable in asking for her to put her belongings away.

"Mezoti," she barked, her loud voice carrying upstairs to Mezoti, who was in her bedroom. "Come down here right now." There was a thump, followed by the patter of feet as Mezoti scrambled downstairs. She could hear in her mother's voice that she was displeased with her, prompting her to hurry. When she appeared in the living room, Seven stated, "I told you to put all your belongings away." She handed over the book. "Put this in your room right away and next time I give you directions, you are to follow them the first time around, understood?"

"Yes Mama." Mezoti hugged the book to her chest but made no effort to go upstairs and follow directions. "Mama, are you nervous?"

"Why would you say that?" Seven asked as she raised her eyebrow. She thought she had been doing a sufficient job at keeping her emotions in check, but clearly that wasn't the case. Mezoti was incredibly perceptive and could read her mother like a book.

"You've been pacing and very short tempered."

"I assure you, that hasn't been my intention. I simply wish that you would follow my directions the first time they are given and not leave your belongings strewn across the house."

"I'm sorry, Mama." She gave her mother a quick hug. "There's no reason for you to be nervous." She smiled up at her mother before dashing upstairs with her book to put it away and go back to what she had been doing. She hoped her mom would calm down once their guest arrived; she normally wasn't in such a foul mood.

As much as she tried to assure Mezoti that she wasn't nervous, Seven knew that it was all a lie. She had a guest coming over today, and she needed to ensure that everything was perfect. This was the first time her guest visited her at her new home, and it had been several months since they'd even seen each other. It wasn't for a lack of trying, however, their schedules never seemed to work out in a way where they could actually see each other face to face. That is until today. This visit meant an awful lot to Seven, and she hoped it did to Mezoti as well, although it was hard to tell given the fact that she always appeared to be in a cheerful mood.

There was a knock on the front door. Seven felt sick to her stomach with worry and nervous. She had no idea why, this was someone she regularly encountered and interacted with she shouldn't feel this way. With her head held high, she walked to the foyer. There was no need for her to feel nervous, but that didn't make her feel any better.

"Mezoti, she's here," she called before answering the door, revealing Irene Hansen with a giant smile on her round face.

"Annika, it's so wonderful to see you," she gushed as she entered the house and gave her beloved niece a warm hug and kiss on the cheek. Seven leaned over to return the affection to the elderly woman. "Look at you." Irene patted her cheek affectionately. "It's so good to see you." Always in a rush, Mezoti pounded down the stairs and skidded to a stop at the bottom, nearly running over both women in the process. "Mezoti! Look how much you've grown." With a large smile on her face, Mezoti hugged Irene. Seven stood off to the side with her arms folded behind her back while she watched to make sure Mezoti behaved appropriately, not that she expected her to act out in any way, she was always fairly well behaved. This visit was of the utmost importance though, which was why she wanted to make sure everything went perfectly.

"Hello Aunt Irene," she greeted cheerfully. "It's very good to see you again." Irene cupped her chin in her hand, allowing her to get a better look at the little girl. It had been several months since she'd last seen her family, and Mezoti had certainly grown. She couldn't believe it. It would only be a matter of time until she was taller than her.

"It's so good to see you too." Irene's eyes lit up. "Oh, I brought you a present," she announced as she reached into her large purse and produced a beautifully wrapped present covered in metallic silver paper with a dark blue bow on top. "This is for you." Mezoti's eyes grew bright at the prospect of a present. She had been expecting to come down, greet Aunt Irene, then disappear upstairs while she and her mother caught up. She eagerly grabbed it and ripped open the paper, revealing a thick book. She turned it over in her hands, looking at the cover.

" _Insects of the Alpha Quadrant_ ," she read.

"Your mother told me that you like bugs, and I thought that that would help you continue your studies."

"It's perfect, I have been looking for a field guide to insects in this quadrant." She'd replicated several books, but they weren't nearly as comprehensive as this one. With any luck, she'd be able to recycle many of her reference books and mostly use this one from now on. It would be far more efficient and take up less room on her bookshelf.

"Mezoti, what do you have to say to Aunt Irene?" Seven reminded firmly. She'd been so caught up in her excitement over the gift that she forgot her manners.

"Thank you." The young girl was undeniable genuine as she threw her arms around Irene's neck and squeezed her tightly, causing the older woman to laugh and return the hug. "I love it."

"Well, I'm glad." Eager to start reading her book immediately, Mezoti tucked the book under her arm and headed right back upstairs to start looking through it while Seven motioned for Irene to follow her to the living room where they could be more comfortable.

As Irene followed Seven to the living room, she couldn't help but look around, taking it all in. She had no idea what to expect when she got here, but she was surprised. Everything here looked so comfortable, like a real home. When Seven first told her that she and Mezoti were moving in with Chakotay, she had her doubts. She knew almost nothing about the man, only that he'd been part of the Maquis before serving as First Officer aboard _Voyager_. Seven swore that he was fantastic with Mezoti and always went out of his way for both of them. It appeared that everything was working out perfectly for all of them.

When Irene saw the line of picture frames on the table behind the couch, she couldn't help but stop and get a closer look at them. She was especially drawn to the photo of Chakotay and Seven with their arms around each other and smiles on their faces. They looked so happy together, just like every other couple she'd encountered. There was something else bothering her, Seven could see it in the subtle way her eyebrows knit together.

"Something's bothering you," she stated bluntly as she stood next to her aunt and looked at the holoimages as well. Normally, she ignored them, they were little more than another decoration in the house, something she took for granted and never really paid attention to. All of the decorating was Chakotay's area of expertise, she didn't find them very practical, and yet, they were oddly comforting.

"I don't have any pictures of you," Irene pointed out softly. "I tell my friends about my beautiful niece who teaches at Starfleet Academy, but the only holoimages I have of you are ones from press releases about _Voyager_ 's return." She turned to face Seven. "I would like a holoimage of you, something I can put in a frame and show off to my friends."

"I would be more than happy to send you a holoimage that you find acceptable so you can show your friends." At first, the request felt strange to Seven, but all her time with the Doctor told her that it was important for humans to have photos of important events and loved ones to show others. It might not be something that she fully understood, but it was a simple enough request to oblige.

"Perhaps we could take a photo of the two of us while I'm here." Irene sounded hopeful. When Seven thought about it, she found that she would like a holoimage of herself and her aunt as well. Everyone else who was important to her was represented by holoimage here, so it was only right that her aunt was as well.

"I would like that." Irene smiled as she put the photo of Seven and Chakotay back on the table. Not only would she have a wonderful photo of her niece to show off, but it would include her as well. It had been so long since she'd taken a family photo, not since before her brother and sister-in-law left for the Delta Quadrant.

Suddenly remembering her manners herself, Seven asked, "Can I get you a beverage? Perhaps a cup of coffee or tea?" She wasn't thirsty herself, but her aunt had just traveled a long journey from her farm, and she wanted to ensure that she was comfortable and felt at home. She also knew that her aunt was quite fond of various types of tea from across the quadrant.

"Some tea would be lovely, thank you." Irene took a seat on the couch while Seven replicated her a steaming cup of tea.

"I hope this is sufficient," she said as she handed over the cup. She wasn't sure how her aunt took her tea, so she went with a simple cup of herbal tea. "I can get you some milk or sugar if you desire." Irene took a sip.

"This is perfect." The reassurance was exactly what Seven needed to hear. She very rarely drank tea and was unfamiliar with how her aunt liked hers prepared. Relieved, she sat next to her aunt on the couch and turned to face her properly. They usually made it a point to call each other once a week, but this was the first time in nearly six months since they'd actually been together in the same room. Seven didn't realize just how much she missed her aunt until just now. Just like Chakotay turned to Kathryn in times of comfort, Seven found that she turned to her aunt. Since her return to Earth, they'd forged a close bond.

"You didn't need to get Mezoti a present."

"Of course I did. She's the closest thing I have to a granddaughter, it's my job to spoil her rotten." Irene reached into her bag at her feet and pulled out a jar of what looked like homemade jam. "I know it's not much, but I brought this for you and Chakotay. I wasn't sure what you two would want, so I brought you this from my farm. It's strawberry." .

"This is very kind of you. I'm afraid that I don't have anything to reciprocate." Seven took the jar of jam and looked at it closely. It looked delicious, and she had a soft spot for strawberries, which her aunt knew. The prospect of homemade strawberry jam made Seven's mouth water. She'd attempted to replicate some several times over the past few months, but it never the same as the jam from her aunt's farm

"Getting to see you is enough," Irene assured as she gave Seven's hand a squeeze. As fond as she was of her aunt, the compliment still made Seven feel slightly uncomfortable. Usually Chakotay was the only other person who treated her like this, and she was still getting used to such physical affection and compliments from others. The pair had seen each other a handful of times since her return to Earth, but their chaotic schedules made it difficult to see each other the past few months.

Irene looked around. This was a beautiful house, everything she always hoped for her niece and more. Not only did Seven appear to be settling into her life on Earth, but she had a daughter and a stable romantic partner who apparently worshipped the ground she walked on. Suddenly, it dawned on Irene that Chakotay was nowhere to be seen. He could very well be upstairs, but she figured that he would at least come down and say hello to her like Mezoti had.

"Where's Chakotay?" she asked. She'd met him twice before and was quite fond of him. She found him cheerful, insightful and could see how much he cared about Seven in the way he looked at her and treated her. She knew that her brother and sister-in-law would approve, despite their noticeable age difference. At the end of the day, age was little more than a number, and Seven had lived a thousand lifetimes and therefore deserved someone who could appreciate everything she's been through.

"Chakotay had to work today," Seven replied. "He wanted to be here, but something came up at Starfleet, and they requested he report to Headquarters for several hours."

"Is it common for him to work on the weekends?" Irene certainly hoped that despite their busy careers and raising a nine year old little girl they found some time to be together.

"He has been summoned to work on the weekend several times since our return to Earth, but this is the first time since Mezoti and I have moved in with him. He was very upset that he wouldn't be here and hopes you won't take it personally."

"Of course not. I understand. Starfleet is a very prestigious organization to work for, I imagine if they're calling him in on his day off, it must be important."

"I wouldn't know," Seven commented dryly.

Irene took a sip of her tea, which had cooled enough for her to enjoy properly and asked, "He doesn't talk to you about his work?" She sounded surprised.

"We do discuss his work, but as a Starfleet Captain, there are particular aspects that are confidential. When he is called in unexpectedly on days like today, it is usually for a pressing but confidential reason. I have learned that if there is something he can tell me, he will, but I don't want to put him in an uncomfortable position." Irene had no idea there was so much confidential work going on at Starfleet. Now that she thought about it, however, it did make sense. Starfleet dealt with countless issues throughout the Quadrant on a daily basis, so it was logical that some would be confidential.

"How's teaching at the Academy? They must feel so fortunate to have you, a leading expert on the Borg teaching the cadets. It will put Starfleet at a distinct advantage over the Borg." Seven started feeling self-conscious. Her aunt was making her job sound far more important than it actually was, so was little more than an instructor at the Academy, just like hundreds of others. It would only be a matter of time until the information she knew became obsolete, and she would have to find a new job either for Starfleet or somewhere else.

"I'm hardly a leading expert on the Borg," she argued. "Starfleet offered me a job, and I agreed. I imagine they did so because they felt obligated to do so after my work on _Voyager_."

"You're a former Borg, if anyone would be an expert, it would be you. You have so much to teach those cadets. Your parents would be so proud of you." Irene sounded sincere and even proud. Seven wasn't accustomed to others being proud of her, although Kathryn and the Doctor had expressed pride in her progress many times over the years. Despite that, it still made her feel self-conscious, especially because she hadn't really done anything worthy of praise.

The mention of her parents made Seven feel uncomfortable. Very rarely did she think about them, and when she did, it usually wasn't in the most positive of ways. She thought they were whole heartedly reckless for taking her all the way to the Delta Quadrant. She blamed them, not the Borg, for her assimilation. The Borg were simply following their nature, while her parents disregarded all safety protocols and parental instincts, putting their own scientific curiosity above the safety of their child. While there had always been animosity within her towards her parents, it only got worse when she adopted Mezoti and thought of her as her own daughter. She loved Mezoti more than anything, even more than Chakotay, and would easily do anything for her. Never would she ever put Mezoti's life in danger, especially in the pursuit of science. It was irresponsible and dangerous. She'd consider taking her back onto a starship, but she'd never take her to the other side of the galaxy to study the Borg, she'd never put her life on the line like that.

Mezoti loved the book from her Aunt Irene. It gave her so much fascinating information about bugs she could find in the Alpha Quadrant. There were so many, she couldn't wait to start finding them. Unfortunately, right now she was limited to what she could find in the backyard, but maybe they would be able to go on vacation somewhere exciting where she would be able to find some of these bugs. She'd ask Chakotay, he'd be more inclined to go along with her suggestion that her mother, who would say that it would be difficult for her to take off work. Yes, she'd definitely have to ask Chakotay. In the meantime, she could read up on the bugs so when she did encounter them, she would be well informed and be able to tell him all about them. She knew bugs weren't what he studied, but he always seemed to be excited to learn new things.

Seven listened dutifully as Irene spoke about how her farm was doing. She didn't understand the appeal of living out in the country, although it seemed to be the perfect place for her aunt to live. She spoke about the animals she raised and food she harvested. With replicators on hand to provide fruit and vegetables at the push of a button, it seemed highly inefficient to spend all that time and energy growing them. She didn't dwell on that though, instead focusing on enjoying herself and the time with her aunt. When she first returned to Earth, she didn't want to meet Irene, afraid she wouldn't know how to act or what to say to her. With Chakotay's help, however, she overcame that apprehension and now had a strong relationship with the only blood relative she had left. In a way, they were all each other had, and Seven was grateful to have her in her life.

Ever the attentive hostess, Seven took Irene's cup the second she was done with her tea and recycled it in the replicator before returning to take a seat on the couch. She considered offering her another cup of tea, but ultimately decided against it for some reason. Something told her that her aunt was fine for the time being.

As soon as she sat back down, Irene asked, "So, are you and Chakotay going to get married soon?" The unexpected question caused Seven's eyes to nearly double in size.

"Uhh, umm.." she stammered as she attempted to think of an answer. Marriage was something they had discussed several times over the past few months, but no concrete decision was ever reached. They both knew they wanted to marry each other, but they weren't in a rush. Right now, things were going fine between them, so why risk complicating matters with marriage? Besides, Seven had her own personal reasons to hold off on getting married. It wasn't that she didn't love Chakotay, she was just fearful of how things would play out over the next few years. Because of that, she wanted to put off marriage for as long as possible.

"Marriage has been discussed," Seven replied slowly as she chose her words carefully. She was treading on thin ice here and didn't want to say something that she would regret or would give her aunt the wrong impression. "For the time being, however, we are focusing on our careers. We are comfortable with our current situation and don't want to complicate it with marriage."

"Marriage isn't a complication, it's an expression of love."

"I am fully aware of what marriage is, and I anticipate we will get married at some point. When that happens, I assure you, you'll be the first to know."

"Well, I hope you'll let me know before you actually get married so I can attend the ceremony." Based on what she saw on _Voyager_ , Seven knew it was important for humans to be present at the wedding ceremonies of their friends and loved ones. It wasn't something she entirely understood, as the only people it really impacted were those actually getting married. She could see in Irene's eyes that this was important to her, and she didn't want to rob her of that opportunity to be present.

"You will be invited to the ceremony," she promised. This was all hypothetical of course. The topic of marriage had come up several times over the course of their relationship, especially when they first started talking about moving in together, but no decision was ever reached. Just as she said, right now, things were fine the way they were.

Irene glanced at the clock on the wall and nearly did a double take. She'd been here for nearly five hours. Time flew by, especially since they had so much to talk about. She knew she had to go, she didn't want to overstay her welcome. Besides, it took her a while to get home, and she didn't want to get home too late

"I should get going," she finally announced. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. She hated the thought of leaving, she'd already missed so much of her niece's life, but she knew she had to get going. Besides, it wasn't like they'd never see each other again; they would talk next week during their weekly call.

"Are you sure you don't wish to stay for dinner?" Seven offered. She had no idea what was going to be for dinner, but she wanted to extend the offer. Like Irene, she was disappointed to see her go, she felt like there was still so much for them to talk about.

"Oh, no, I couldn't impose." She gave Seven's hand a loving squeeze. "But thank you for the offer, maybe next time." Both women stood up, and Irene grabbed her purse from where it sat on the floor next to her feet.

They were about to walk towards the front door when Seven asked, "Didn't you want to take a photo of us together?" Irene couldn't believe she almost forgot. She'd been so adamant about getting that photo, and she almost walked out without it.

"I almost forgot."

"Chakotay has a camera upstairs. Mezoti can take the photo." Seven left the room and headed upstairs to find the camera while Irene returned to the living room to wait for her niece to return with the camera in tow.

In her room, Mezoti sat in the middle of her bed with her PADD in front of her. She was attempting to create a database of bugs in the region for future reference, all with the help of her new favorite book from Aunt Irene. A soft knock on the door caught her attention. Before she could call out for whoever was there to come in, Seven opened the door.

"Aunt Irene would like a holoimage of me and her. I told her that you would be willing to take it."

"Is she leaving?"

"She is shortly, but she would like a holoimage first." Seven held out Chakotay's seldom used camera. Mezoti scrambled off the bed and took the device. It was exactly like the one the Doctor had, which she had used several times over the past two years, all under his watchful tutelage of course. It was a simple enough device to use, any child half her age could figure it out in a matter of minutes without any problems. With the camera clutched in her hand, Mezoti headed downstairs, trailing behind her mother.

Downstairs in the living room, Mezoti stood in front of the fireplace with the camera in her hands. Across from her on the couch, Irene and Seven sat side by side. Although they were just aunt and niece, Mezoti could see the family resemblance when they sat next to each other like that. It was subtle but definitely noticeable. They had the same cheeks and same light blue eyes. They also sat the same way, with the heads held high with pride and tilted in the direction of the camera. Mezoti thought they both looked beautiful, very classy and elegant as she looked through the viewfinder of the camera.

"Okay, smile," she called. Irene glanced over at Seven and frowned when she saw her niece was looking at the camera with her usual serious expression.

"Annika, smile," she scolded as she patted her on the leg. Seven did her best to force a smile. At first, it was obvious that it was forced by the pained expression that accompanied it. Once she relaxed a little, however, it looked natural, and Mezoti thought that her mother looked even more beautiful. "Much better." Satisfied, Irene turned to the camera and smiled. The camera flashed several times as Mezoti took three photos. She always saw the Doctor take several photos. When she asked him why, he explained that it was to ensure he got a good holoimage. "Mezoti, set the timer on the camera and come get in the picture. I want to show all my friends what a beautiful little girl you are." Excited to be a part of the family photo, Mezoti dragged the coffee table to where she stood and set up a pile of books to hold the camera. She set the timer and darted over to the couch. "Come sit next to me." Irene patted the couch next to her as Seven slid over to make room for her daughter. The second Mezoti sat down and smiled, the camera went off twice, taking two photos of the three generations together, all beaming with pride over being together.

Once the photos were taken, Mezoti jumped down off the couch and retrieved the camera. She analyzed them carefully and determined they were perfect. For good measure, she handed it over to Seven and Irene, who also looked over the photo, as they were the ones who requested the holoimage in the first place.

"It's perfect," Irene said with a smile.

"I'll send them to you for you to show your friends," Seven promised. Irene felt elated. Not only did she have a beautiful holoimage of herself and her niece but also one with her grand niece as well. She always felt left out when her friends showed off holoimages of their grandchildren, but now she would be able to join in the conversation.

With Mezoti trailing behind them, Seven walked Irene to the door. Both were sad to see the guest go, but they didn't want to keep her and risk her getting home too late. Besides, Seven wanted to get started on dinner and take care of a few mother domestic duties around the house before Chakotay got home, whenever that might be.

"We can't go this long without seeing each other," Irene gushed as she wrapped her arms around Seven and kissed her cheek affectionately. "It's been far too long."

"I agree. We will be sure to see each other more frequently in the future." Irene pulled away and turned her attention to Mezoti, who she also hugged and kissed on the cheek. When Seven first told her that she was adopting the child, she didn't know if it was the best idea, but now she couldn't imagine not having her around. In a way, Mezoti brought out more of a human side of Seven.

"I hope you enjoy that book."

"I've already started reading it," Mezoti announced proudly. Irene chuckled as she pulled away and smoothed down the child's hair. "Thank you, Aunt Irene."

"It's my pleasure." Unable to help herself, Irene hugged Seven again, this time rubbing her back and reluctant to let go. Seven expected as much. Every time they parted ways, Irene was always hesitant to leave. One time, she told her it was because they never got a proper goodbye before she left with her parents for the Delta Quadrant. Given her prior experience, Seven didn't mind the extended goodbye. In a way, it was comforting for her as well. She had grown quite fond of her aunt and always hated when they parted ways.

"Please contact me when you get home so I know you made it safely," Seven requested.

"Of course." Irene pulled away and patted Seven affectionately on the cheek. "It was so wonderful to see you, Annika." Seven detected a few tears in her aunt's eyes as they parted ways. Seven stood in the doorway and watched as Irene got in her shuttle and left. Only once she was sure she was gone did she close the door.

Mezoti sat on the bottom of the stairs, watching as her mother said goodbye to her aunt. She leaned against the wall and mindlessly drummed her fingers against her leg. Seven stood in the doorway, watching Irene get into her shuttle and leave. Only when she out of sight did she close the door.

When Seven turned around, she asked her daughter, "Are you going to help me make dinner?" The prospect of cooking caught Mezoti's attention.

"I thought Chakotay was going to make dinner when he got home." She sounded confused. They'd established a comfortable routine, and she thought that her mother of all people would keep that routine in place. The two of them had never really cooked before, and she wasn't sure how it would turn out.

"Since he's working and won't be home until later than usual, I thought we could assist him by making dinner." She tilted her head towards the kitchen, prompting Mezoti to scramble to her feet and fall into step next to her.

"What are we going to make? Or are we just going to replicate something?"

"I thought we could make baked ziti. I looked at the recipe last night, and it seems simple enough. I will require your assistance though." Mezoti knew that her mother was downplaying her culinary abilities. She was an excellent cook, putting incredible detail into every dish she prepared. The only reason she didn't cook every night was the fact that she got home significantly later from work. If they waited for her to cook the meal, they wouldn't eat until nearly 2000 hours.

As Seven watched over the pasta boiling on the stove, Mezoti stood on her usual chair and cut up the vegetables to add to the sauce. Seven abandoned her post and instead hovered over Mezoti. Chakotay might be comfortable letting her use a large knife while cooking, but she found it unnerving. She was just a little girl, she should be watched far more carefully to prevent any accidents.

"Mama, why do you go by your Borg designation?" Mezoti asked innocently while keeping her eyes locked on her work so she didn't mess anything up. The question surprised Seven. She always knew that Mezoti was inquisitive and even encouraged her to ask questions, but that was one question she wasn't expecting. Her mind whirled as she tried to think of an explanation that Mezoti would accept as to why she felt uncomfortable when people referred to as Annika instead of Seven.

"After my connection to the Collective was severed, I wasn't entirely sure what my designation was, so I kept my old one," she lied with ease. "When I found out what my real designation was, the crew had already grown accustomed to referring to me as Seven, and I did not want to cause them any confusion." Seven hoped that that would be a sufficient answer, but she could tell by the look on Mezoti's face that she wasn't buying her story at all.

"You told me that Admiral Janeway knew who you were right away." Seven had been hoping that Mezoti forgot about that but apparently not. Her little lie wasn't believable. "Do you not like your designation? Because I think it's very pretty. Annika. It's a pretty name." Seven mindlessly stroked Mezoti's hair as she continued to cut up the onion. The action was oddly soothing to Mezoti. She loved when she brushed her hair or even stroked it like that.

"I am fond of the name, but when I was first rescued from the Collective, my only goal was to get back. I wanted nothing to do with being human, which included my human designation. When I finally accepted by humanity, my chosen designation was already established amongst the crew."

"But you could always change it."

"I could, but I won't. My designation is Seven of Nine, just like yours is Mezoti. It defines who we are."

"But you're not Borg anymore, so it shouldn't define who you are." Seven wished it was that easy. Mezoti might have been assimilated by the Borg, but she never actually did any damage. In fact, it was hardly worth mentioning that she had ever been a part of the Borg, it was such a small fraction of her life. Seven had been freed from the Collective for five years, but she'd still spent the majority of her life as a drone and had to deal with the consequences of that. Her only consolation was that Mezoti never had to deal with that. Rather than continue the conversation, Seven focused her attention on her cooking. They were going to have to pick up the pace if it was going to be done by the time Chakotay got home.

When Chakotay walked in the door, he fully expected to have to replicate something for dinner, as he was far too tired to actually cook. It caught him off guard when he smelled dinner being cooked. The smell was a huge relief, as he was so exhausted and didn't feel like cooking anything. He walked into the kitchen and saw Mezoti setting the table while Seven carefully examined the food in the oven.

"It smells delicious in here," he commented. His voice startled Seven as she stood up and wiped her hands on her thighs.

"I wasn't expecting you for another fifteen minutes," she informed him. "Dinner isn't ready yet."

"That's fine, sweetheart." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pecked her lightly on the lips. She leaned against him and rested her head against his shoulder while snaking her arm around him. "How was your day?"

"It was quite enjoyable seeing my aunt again. She inquired as to where you were."

"I know, I'm sorry. Something came up at work."

"Is everything alright?" It really hadn't been as big an emergency as Starfleet made it sound when they summoned him that morning, but he still couldn't tell Seven about it, not that it really mattered. There was nothing to worry about, no part of the Federation was in any danger, and that was all that was important to Starfleet. If anything, going in had been a massive waste of time. He really should have been here visiting with Irene.

"Everything's fine," he replied. Still keeping his arm around Seven, he turned to Mezoti. "How was your Aunt Irene?"

"She got me a book about bugs in the Alpha Quadrant," she announced proudly as she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.

"Wow, why don't you go get it so I can see?" Chakotay asked. Yes, he did want to see the book, but he also wanted to buy a few minutes alone with Seven. Oblivious to his ulterior motives, Mezoti finished setting the table and dashed upstairs to retrieve her new book.

As if she read Chakotay's mind, Seven snaked her arm around his neck and drew him close as soon as Mezoti was gone. Her free hand gripped his arm while her fingers tangled in his hair. Feeling bold, he kissed the corner of her lips softly, or at least that was his intent. She turned her head at the last minute, kissing him fully on the lips and causing him to moan softly.

"I replicated myself something new to wear," she murmured against his lips. Chakotay raised his eyebrow in intrigue.

"You did? Can I see it?" His hand drifted along her side and gripped her butt playfully. She squeaked. It was a strange noise to hear from her. Now that he'd heard it, he wondered if there were other ways to get such a reaction out of her. He took it as a new personal challenge.

"You'll have to wait until later tonight, but I can assure you it will be well worth the wait." Smirking, he dipped his head down and buried his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling the sensitive skin affectionately. She instinctively tilted her head to the side, giving him better access in the process.

"I don't even get a little preview?" He nipped at her earlobe, clenching it lightly between his teeth.

"You'll have to wait, sweetheart." The term of endearment caught Chakotay off guard. He kept a tight grip on Seven but stood up properly. He could see uncertainty in Seven's eyes as she tried to gauge his reaction. To some, it was such a simple word, but it meant so much more coming from her.

"You've never called me sweetheart or anything like that before," he commented as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Does it bother you? I thought that we were at the point in our relationship where we could use such terms with each other. I know you have for a while, but now I felt that it was time I started to as well." Seven stopped herself, she was rambling, over explaining herself. She didn't need to explain herself to him, he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, and her heart pounded in her chest. She'd thought about using such affectionate terms in the past but never felt that they were appropriate. Today, it just slipped out before she could stop it.

"No, I love it," he assured.

Further conversation was cut off by the sound of Mezoti jumping down into the living room and leaping up the stairs once again into the kitchen. As soon as she saw Seven and Chakotay in each other's arms, her eyes grew wide. She was definitely interrupting something. Seven immediately broke free and went back to checking dinner.

"Let's see that book of yours," Chakotay announced cheerfully with a smile plastered across his face. Try as he might to focus on the book as Mezoti showed him her exciting new present, all he could think about was whatever Seven had prepared for him later that evening. He couldn't wait.

At long last, Mezoti was tucked away in bed for the night. Eager to see what Seven had planned for him, Chakotay immediately abandoned the work in his office as soon as he knew the little girl was fast asleep. When he appeared in the bedroom, however, Seven was nowhere to be seen. He knew she didn't need to regenerate, and she wasn't in her office, so she should be right here, just like she promised.

"Seven?" he called. He tried to open the bathroom door, only getting it open a few centimeters before it slammed closed with surprising force. At least he'd found her.

"You will have to wait in the bedroom," Seven instructed firmly, her voice muffled by the wooden door. Chakotay scowled. He both loved and hated surprises. Grumbling under his breath, he kicked off his shoes and threw himself down on the bed, doing his best to wait patiently for her to emerge wearing whatever it was she replicated for herself.

Thankfully, Chakotay didn't have to wait for long. Only a few moments later, Seven finally emerged from the bathroom. Although the nightgown she wore ended about six centimeters above her knees and fully covered her torso, it could be considered skimpy and revealing by her standards. The deep red satin garment was trimmed along the bottom with the smallest bit of lace that was barely noticeable. The sweetheart neckline revealed the swell of her pale breasts underneath. It was a simple but absolutely stunning garment. Chakotay had grown accustomed to seeing her in her bodysuits, which were skin tight and functional. This fluttered with every step she took, teasing him as it revealed the milky flesh underneath. Seven's fingertips flitted over the hem of the nightgown, self-consciously smoothing it down as she approached the bed.

"Do you like it?" she asked as she kept her eyes locked on him and attempted to read his reaction. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. In fact, he felt terrible for openly staring at her like this; she wasn't a piece of meat to be gawked at, but there were times, such as this, where he couldn't help himself. There was a hint of doubt in her voice, as if she didn't think he would. How could he not? Of course, Chakotay knew he was biased; she could wear a burlap sack and he'd think she was absolutely gorgeous. With his eyes locked on her, he got to his feet.

"I, uh...umm...wow," he stammered. He looped an arm around Seven's waist and drew her close. Both her hands rested on his chest, and she could feel his heart beating with excitement under her touch. "I think it looks fantastic on you." With his free hand, he pulled the bottom of the nightgown up a few centimeters. "And don't take it personally, but I can't wait to get it off of you." One of her hands slid up his shoulder to the back of his neck.

"That was the objective," she whispered seductively. Without any warning, she pushed him backwards, sending him sprawling onto the bed with a groan. This was definitely a side of her that he didn't see very often. Usually he was the one who initiated sex, so he was glad for the change of pace.

Chakotay barely had a chance to react to falling backward before Seven straddled his hips. She pressed her lips against his in a fiery kiss while her body moved against his involuntarily. Her hair formed a curtain around them, tickling his skin. He loved the sensation and loved even more that she was wearing her hair down, a rare treat for him. One of his hands splayed across her back while the other trailed along the back of her thigh, finally gaining access to underneath the nightgown. Fully expecting to encounter some sort of pair of underwear that matched the nightgown, he was surprised to feel only silky smooth flesh along the swell of her backside. The revelation caused him to chuckle. Concerned she was doing something wrong, Seven pulled away from the passionate kiss.

"You're laughing," she stated bluntly. "Explain."

"I just never thought of you as the type of person to walk around without underwear," Chakotay explained. It seemed ridiculous now to laugh about, but it caught him off guard.

"Given what I had planned for the evening, wearing underwear seemed inefficient and a waste of time." It was obvious that Seven was flustered and didn't expect to be called out for her wardrobe choice. Chakotay pressed his finger to her lips. Trying to reestablish the romantic moment, she nipped at his fingertip before kissing it softly.

"It's fine, sweetheart." He flipped them over so now he was on top of her. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him close. "You're overthinking things." He propped himself up with one hand and stroked her cheek affectionately with the other. "Tonight's about us." He kissed her softly, savoring every moment and enjoying the time they had together.

At first, the voice was distant, barely penetrating Seven's dream. In fact, she thought it was a part of her dream. Only when it repeated, this louder, did she realize that it wasn't a dream. Moaning, she opened her eyes. She was curled up against Chakotay with her head resting on his chest while he snored softly. She thought that it was his snoring that woke her, but that had never woken her before.

"Mama?" Seven jumped and clutched the quilt tightly to her chest as she rolled over. Sure enough, Mezoti was standing next to the bed. Muttering in his sleep, Chakotay rolled over so his back was to the pair. "Mama, can I-" She cut herself off when she saw that her mother wasn't wearing her usual pajamas. In fact, she wasn't wearing anything at all. "Where are your clothes? Are they not sufficient to sleep in?"

"What are you doing out of bed?" Seven demanded harshly, blatantly ignoring her daughter's question, which was extremely inappropriate, not that she intended it to be that way. Mezoti's face fell. Never before had her mother greeted her like that when she appeared at her bedside in the middle of the night.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

"No. You must return to your bedroom immediately."

"But I'm having difficulty sleeping, and I always sleep better when I'm with you. I want to sleep here."

"What you want is irrelevant. Now return to your bedroom immediately before you wake Chakotay." Grumbling under her breath, Mezoti turned on her heels and stalked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her. She didn't understand why her mom said no, she always let her sleep in bed with them. There was plenty of room, and Chakotay didn't seem to mind either, so she couldn't get why she had to go back to her room tonight.

When Seven rolled over to see if Chakotay was still asleep, she could see his shoulders trembling as he did his best to suppress his laughter. With a boyish grin on his face, he rolled over to face her. She looked less than amused at the intrusion. It was highly inappropriate, and Mezoti needed to learn to sleep in her own bed more often; this was her and Chakotay's only opportunity to spend time together.

"I fail to see what's so humorous," Seven snapped indignantly. "She could have walked in on us earlier. She must learn boundaries." Yes, Mezoti had gotten better about knocking before she walked in during the day, but she still openly wandered in at night when she couldn't sleep.

"You're too harsh on her, Seven. She's a child, she didn't mean anything by it." He kissed her forehead softly. Seven wished she could be so nonchalant about the encounter. It was humiliating and completely inappropriate. Tomorrow, she would have to talk to Mezoti about appropriate times to enter the master bedroom and emphasize the importance of staying in her own bedroom at night. From now on, they would have to be more careful about locking the door certain nights as well to ensure their privacy.

 **Author's Note:** I hope you liked it! Leave me a review and let me know.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Without the vinculum, the Borg cannot function," Seven announced from her position at the front of the auditorium. As she spoke, a three dimensional holoimage of a vinculum slowly spun next to her, allowing her students to get a better idea of what she was talking about. Life sized, the vinculum towered over Seven, giving her students an idea of just how large the piece of equipment was. "It connects all the drones together, hence creating the hive mind. Information can be disseminated instantaneously among every drone. It is the most efficient method of communication, especially for such a large population as the Borg." The door in the back opened and a shadowy figure entered, standing in the back, momentarily distracting Seven. She paused for a moment to recollect her thoughts. Even with her enhanced eyesight, it was difficult to tell for certain who the figure belonged to, as if the stranger was purposefully avoiding being seen. "It is nearly impossible to destroy the vinculum, as it adapts to any attempts, and any damage done to it can be dangerous to the Collective." A moment of clarity hit Seven as she finally recognized the silhouette of the guest and smiled slightly. It definitely wasn't who she expected, but she was glad for the visit anyway. "However, right now I would like to pause our lecture to introduce a special guest. While it has been said that I am an expert on the Borg, this woman can also be considered a leading expert on the Collective. It is my esteemed pleasure to introduce Admiral Kathryn Janeway." There was a murmur of excitement as the cadets whipped their heads around, eagerly searching for the unscheduled guest. Admiral Janeway was practically a legend at Starfleet, right up there with Captain Kirk to some.

Shaking her head and chuckling, Kathryn descended the steps; it hadn't been her intention to interrupt Seven's class, she just wanted to poke her head in for a few minutes, hopefully unseen, before returning to her office. She never understood the excitement surrounding her and her crew. To her, they were all people, nothing more, nothing less. Yes, it was flattering, but it also made her feel like she was far more impressive than she really was.

"Seven, you're making me sound far more impressive than I really am," Kathryn said with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around her old friend. She rocked them back and forth for a moment as she rubbed her back. "It's good to see you," she whispered in her ear. They'd exchanged letters and several calls, but it had been a few months since they'd had the time to see each other face to face.

"It's good to see you as well, Admiral." The broke apart, and Kathryn gave her shoulder a loving squeeze. "Perhaps you would be willing to answer some questions about the Borg. I have discovered that my students are very inquisitive."

"Oh, Seven, I'm no more of an expert on the Borg than you are," Kathryn argued. "And I'm not entirely sure being an expert on the Borg is something a Starfleet Admiral should be bragging about." Already, a dozen hands shot up in the air and several more cadets appeared to be thinking of questions to ask. It would be hard to turn down so many eager faces. Besides, what would be the harm in answering a few questions?

Anticipating Kathryn's answer, Seven melted into the background, giving her command of the floor. The Admiral scanned the excited cadets, all of whom seemed to have questions for her to answer. If there was one thing she hated, it was picking questions to answer. In her mind, blindly picking one question over the other made it seem like some questions were more important than others.

"Let's start at one end of the room and work our way to the other," she suggested as she turned to her left where she pointed to a young Bajoran with dark hair pulled back into a neat bun at the base of her neck. "Go ahead, what's your question?"

"I, uhh, I hope doesn't Seven find this too uncomfortable," the Bajoran admitted as she got to her feet. Kathryn rolled her eyes. With the exception of her personal life, it was hard to find any topic that made Seven uncomfortable; she openly talked about just about anything when it came to the Borg, even if that made others uncomfortable. "But, umm, what made you want to save her from the Collective?" While the cadet seemed concerned with making Seven feel uncomfortable, it was Kathryn who experienced discomfort. She and Seven had talked about this over the years, quite extensively, but she'd never really admitted it to anyone past her Senior Staff, not even to her superiors. She turned to Seven. The younger woman's expression told her that she knew what she was thinking, and she nodded, giving her permission to answer candidly. Not to do so would undoubtedly cause more questions to pop up.

"I didn't set out to save Seven," Kathryn replied slowly as she carefully thought over each word. "In order to defeat Species 8472, we attempted to create an alliance with the Borg. Seven was selected by the Collective to speak on their behalf, to act as a liaison between us. She actually attempted to assimilate _Voyager_ , but, at that point, we had figured out how to sever her connection to the Collective. In all honesty, it was done out of necessity, but I cannot imagine making any other decision. Seven quickly adapted and became a valued member of our crew. We wouldn't have been able to make it through the Delta Quadrant without her." Seven did feel slightly uncomfortable about being spoken about so highly, but she kept a cool demeanor. She knew Kathryn hadn't set out to save her from the Borg, it really was a matter of necessity, but she was forever grateful for it, as it gave her the life she enjoyed now.

Kathryn smiled brightly as she turned to the next question, which came from a Vulcan in the very back of the room, which surprised her, because Vulcan students were usually the most attentive and tended to sit towards the front. She had a feeling that given the fascinating subject, however, it was hard to find seats in the front of the room.

The young man stood up and asked, "Were you ever fearful that your plan in Unimatrix Zero would not be successful?" Kathryn nodded slowly as she thought of an answer. She had to tread lightly here. Starfleet wasn't exactly thrilled with the steps she, B'Elanna and Tuvok took to take down Unimatrix Zero, even though it had ultimately been successful.

"As a Starfleet officer, you will learn that very rarely does everything go as planned. It is important to have a backup plan. I know Seven can speak more about this, but there were many times when we had a plan, whether it was to face the Borg, the Vidiians, the Hirogens or any number of other foes in the Delta Quadrant, and things went to hell for one reason or another."

"I can think of 34 instances off the top of my head," Seven interjected. Smirking, Kathryn waved her hand with a flick of her wrist to emphasize her point.

"There you go. Sometimes it's a small inconvenience, sometimes it forces you to think on your feet and come up with a new plan right on the spot. It's important to understand that going in and make sure there's a backup plan." She paused for a few moments. Several students continued to take notes, for which she was grateful. This was an important lesson for every Starfleet cadet and officer to understand. "In terms of Unimatrix Zero, I was terrified that it wouldn't work because it meant that I more or less handed over two of my most trusted crewmen over to the Borg. It did work, however, and it dealt a huge blow to the Borg. Thousands of Borg across the entire galaxy had their connection to the Collective severed, and they were able to mount their own rebellions. Several took control of the Cubes they were on, allowing them to attack the Borg from the inside." Talking about Unimatrix Zero brought back waves of nostalgia that Seven didn't expect. She hadn't thought about it, or Axum, in nearly a year and half, not since she'd started exploring her feelings for Chakotay. News of Unimatrix Zero had spread quickly as soon as Starfleet heard about it. It was the first time they were ever really able to take on the Borg and do some lasting damage in a long time.

With surprising patience, Kathryn answered every single question the cadets asked her without fail. Not once did she imply that she was tired or had better things to do. She treated each question with the same careful thought and consideration, no matter how trivial it may seem. It impressed Seven, who often found her students' questions obnoxious. Kathryn didn't seem to mind. She actually seemed to enjoy it, it gave her purpose after sitting in meetings all day. She even made sure to ask Seven's opinion on many questions, wanting her class to remember that they had their own Borg expert standing in front of them. After hearing her talk every day, however, she could understand the appeal of hearing someone new speak.

Time flew by. Each question Kathryn answered seemed to cause three or four other cadets to come up with new questions. It was a never ending process. At some point, she would have to put an end to this, no matter how much she wanted to answer every question. If she didn't put an end to it, she would undoubtedly be here all night and well into tomorrow as well.

"I believe we are almost out of time," Seven announced. Usually students were so inundated with information by the end of class that they welcomed the end of class. Today, however, all of them would gladly stay for another hour to have more of their questions answered.

"Perhaps we can squeeze in one more question," Kathryn suggested. That was all that was necessary for at least a dozen hands to shoot up in the air. Without waiting for Seven's permission, she scanned the cadets, trying to read in their eyes if their question was worthy of being the very last question. Finally, her gaze settled on a petite human sitting in the very back row on the very edge of the auditorium, practically invisible to everyone else. "Go ahead," she encouraged as she nodded towards the mousy brunette, who stood up and twisted her hands in front of her uncomfortably.

"If you could say anything to the Borg Queen, what would it be?" A murmur swept across the auditorium, telling Kathryn that many cadets were thinking the same question but hadn't worked up the courage to ask it.

"What would I say to the Borg Queen?" Kathryn mused to herself as she tried to think of an answer. This question would require a carefully selected answer. She'd talked to the Borg Queen in the past, but she'd always been so caught up in saving her crew and others that she hadn't thought about what she wanted to say to her. "I would tell her that this senseless destruction needs to stop," she finally said louder so everyone in attendance could hear. Each cadet seemed to hang onto her every word. "That the pursuit of perfection is admirable, but not at the expense of billions of lives. There has to be a way to reach perfection without the mass slaughter of everyone else. I would also remind her that the absence of perfection is what makes life worth living. As imperfect beings, we have something to work towards on a daily basis. Imperfection is essential what makes us human."

Satisfied with her answer, Kathryn turned to Seven who said, "Please join me in giving Admiral Janeway a round of applause for her willingness to answer your questions." The auditorium erupted throughout the auditorium. Several cadets even leapt to their feet in a standing ovation, which Kathryn felt was a little much. All she'd done was answer a few questions, something she seemed to do on a regular basis.

"You're all too kind," she gushed as she attempted to wave off the applause but to no avail.

"We are going to be behind my other classes, so come prepared to work twice as hard tomorrow," Seven announced before dismissing her students for the day. Today's experience was well worth it, even if this class was behind the rest of her classes. She would adapt and find a way to catch this class up...somehow.

While many of the cadets left so they wouldn't be late for their next class, several lingered, eager to shake Kathryn's hand or hopefully get their pressing question answered; it was worth being late to their next class if they got to talk face to face to the Admiral Janeway. Not once did Kathryn attempt to stop them. Instead, she welcome each question with a smile, asking the cadet's name and where he or she was from before listening to their question and personalizing the answer. It gave Seven a chance to clean up before leaving. It was her lunch break now, giving her an hour and a half before she had her next class.

Once the last cadet finally darted out of the auditorium, Kathryn let out a sigh and turned to face Seven. She put her hand on the younger woman's back, silently communicating that they were finally free to leave. What she originally intended to be a quick visit turned into quite an ordeal.

"I'm sorry, Seven, I didn't expect to hijack your class," Kathryn said with a laugh as they mounted the steps and exited the auditorium. "I saw Chakotay again today, and he suggested that I stop by."

"So it is actually his fault," Seven suggested in a teasing tone that Kathryn wasn't used to hearing from her young protege. She was glad to see that she was learning to relax, even if those moments were fleeting and only shared with those in her close family circle.

"In a way, yes. So you can blame him." In actuality, she wasn't complaining at all. It had been quite some time since she'd seen her old friend face to face, and she was always welcome in her classroom. The answers to her questions had been insightful and provocative; they gave a whole new perspective on the Borg that her students needed to understand as well. She approached the subject from the perspective of someone who had once been a part of the Collective. Kathryn, on the other hand, talked about the Borg as someone who had fought them. "I hope you approved of my answers. I didn't want to jump ahead to content you haven't covered yet or a topic you've been avoiding." They walked down the hall. Seven noticed that they were walking in the opposite direction of her office, but she didn't say anything, she didn't need to go back right away.

"I did have something to say about your last answer. I hope you won't find it too bold."

"That's never stopped you before," Kathryn pointed out with a laugh. Seven had to agree, she knew she could be quite blunt at times. "So, what's my critique?" Having never actually taught a class before, she was eager to know how she'd done.

"You always told me that individuality is essential to humanity, but you just stated that it is imperfection. Which is it: individuality or imperfection?"

"It's both," Kathryn replied. They exited the building. Overhead, sunlight streamed down. There wasn't a cloud in the bright blue sky. It was the perfect day, and many cadets were scattered across any open space they could find. Many had their PADDs out, studying their textbooks, but others were playing games or socializing with friends. All sorts of races and species were represented equally; it was a tapestry of the Federation and all it represented.

Mindful of the overabundance of people who seemed to be everywhere, the pair continued to walk. Seven realized that they were walking off campus, to a series of small cafes and coffee shops that lined the street across from the Academy. She figured she would have a quick lunch in her office while grading papers and thinking of a plan on how to catch the class she just had up with the rest of her classes. Apparently that wasn't going to happen, but she was grateful for the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with Kathryn.

"Our imperfections are what make us unique, in a way, they work together; one cannot exist without the other," Kathryn explained.

"A being can be perfect but also an individual," Seven argued. Being perfect simply meant to have achieve the highest sense of possibility available to an individual. Her perfection would be different than Chakotay's, allowing them to hold on to their individuality.

"True, but it's harder." Kathryn stopped next to a rose bush. "Look at this rose, Seven." She motioned towards a small, delicate flower on the edge of the bush.

"I hardly see what a flower has to do with perfection." Kathryn held up her hand, indicating that she was missing the point.

"I'm getting to that," she assured. "Look at it. At first glance, it looks perfect, but upon closer inspection, you see that some of the outer petals are beginning to wilt and are discolored. Does that mean that it's not perfect?"

"Based on my rudimentary understanding of botany, yes. This flower is flawed."

"No, it's unique. If Chakotay gave you a bouquet of flowers, would you closely inspect each flower for its imperfections?" Seven pursed her lips. She'd never do something like that, as she knew that a gift like that came from the heart. Her silence was enough of an answer for Kathryn, who continued, "No, you'd be grateful to him for going out of his way to get you such a wonderful gift, despite any small imperfections. This flower may be imperfect, but it's also unique. Just like everyone here." She motioned towards the cadets scattered across the courtyard. "Nobody here is perfect, but we're all individuals, we our own strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of the Federation is to strengthen each other's weaknesses. In a way, we're seeking perfection as well, but we do so by highlighting what makes each person unique, which wouldn't happen if there weren't imperfections." They began to walk once again. "I want you to think about the crew on _Voyager_. No, think about the Senior Staff. Each person on that staff has something that makes them unique, which they have because they have flaws, areas they struggle with. Without those areas they struggle with, they wouldn't have other areas to focus on and become stronger in. When each individual has an area to excel in, the unit, or in this case the crew, becomes stronger and better."

"But wouldn't it be more efficient to encourage perfection? By doing so, all members of the Senior Staff could complete each role interchangeably."

"You're thinking like a drone, Seven, not a human. Yes, that is true, but, as I said to your class, then we wouldn't have anything to strive for. I may have been captain, but there wasn't a day that I didn't learn something new, whether it was from the Doctor, Tuvok, Chakotay...it didn't matter who, but I was always learning, which is another part of the human experience. Open up your mind to learning new things, Seven. There's an entire galaxy out there to teach you. If you obtain perfection, you wouldn't need to learn anything new." Seven had never thought of that before. If anything, this little lesson from Kathryn showed her just how much she had to learn still and that she was a long way from becoming perfect, if that was even a reasonable goal anymore.

"So you are implying that I should embrace my imperfections?" She sounded skeptical. This had been her goal for years now, and she couldn't imagine not striving for that anymore. "Won't that be inconvenient to others?"

"Do you love Chakotay?" Seven's eyes narrowed angrily at the notion that she didn't love Chakotay. With the exception of Mezoti, he was the most important person in her life. Kathryn took her response as a resounding yes. "And is her perfect?" Seven thought to the night before last, when Chakotay kept her up half the night with his snoring. Usually she could ignore it, but it was much louder than usual, resulting in her getting a terrible night's sleep.

"Hardly," she replied tersely.

"There's your answer then. Imperfection makes humans unique and gives us a chance to grow from each other. Just because we're not perfect doesn't mean people won't care about each other. In fact, it shows that you care even more because you're willing to put up with the imperfections, no matter what." Seven carefully contemplated everything Kathryn told her. It was a lot for her to process, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense, even if it went against everything she believed in.

Kathryn came to a stop outside her favorite cafe. When she was feeling particularly stressed or needed a break from work, she always came here. Just standing outside the quaint building made her feel relaxed. The one story building had large bay windows that allowed the bright sunlight to stream inside, illuminating the patrons as they sat amongst the tables and plush, overstuffed couches and mismatched armchairs scattered throughout the establishment. A variety of round tables littered the outdoor patio, allowing patrons to enjoy the beautiful weather. Although none of the furniture matched, it all seemed like it was meant to be assembled together.

"Enough of this philosophical talk, let me treat you to lunch," Kathryn announced. "Of all the places I've been in the galaxy, this is my favorite place to eat." She motioned for Seven to have a seat at one of the available tables on the edge of the patio. "I didn't come here to lecture you about what it means to be human, I wanted to catch up with you." As soon as both women sat down, a waiter appeared, handing them each a one page menu housed in a smooth, worn leather case. The creamy paper listed the menu choices in delicate, cursive handwriting.

"That is very kind of you," Seven commented as she glanced over the menu. She wasn't particularly hungry, but the spinach salad sounded particularly appealing, especially since it came with strawberries on it. She'd never thought of putting strawberries on a salad before, but she wanted to give it a try. Kathryn took a few moments to look over the menu as well. Even though she almost always ended up ordering the same thing, she always took the time to look over the food choices, just to be sure.

After giving the pair a chance to look over the menu, the waiter appeared to take their order before quietly disappearing inside to put in their order, finally giving them some time alone and catch up. There was a huge difference between exchanging letters and video calls and having a real face to face conversation.

"So, I've heard what Chakotay thinks, but I want to hear it from you. Is living together everything you expected it to be?" Kathryn's eyes shined with excitement as she folded her hands on the table and leaned forward. No longer was she an admiral imparting wisdom upon her protege but rather an old friend pressing her for information and gossip.

"Cohabitation has proven to be a fulfilling experience. I find that I quite enjoy living with Chakotay, and I am confident that Mezoti feels likewise," Seven replied.

"So she's settled in nicely? I know Chakotay had some concerns."

"There were some difficulties at first, but they have been overcome. They prepare dinner every night together and have become quite close." A smile appeared on Seven's face as her eyes looked past Kathryn. She even chuckled as she pictured her boyfriend and her daughter dancing together; him patiently teaching her and not complaining about how tired he was, even after his long day at Headquarters. It was the image of domestic bliss.

"Care to share?" Kathryn prompted.

"Several nights ago, they were dancing together in the living room. He danced for over an hour with her, and not once did he complain or even appear to grow fatigued." While it may have surprised Seven, it didn't surprise Kathryn in the least bit. Chakotay was a gentleman through and through, which meant if Mezoti wanted to dance with him, then he would dance with her until she asked him to stop without a single complaint. It was who he was.

"I always knew Chakotay would make a wonderful father, and I'm so glad he has you and Mezoti." She reached across the table and patted Seven's hand. In the seven years they'd spent together, they'd talked about everything, including fatherhood. Chakotay had been disappointed to learn that Seska's child wasn't his. He had been willing to look past his ex-girlfriend's deception and welcome the child with open arms; it was simply who he was. Upon learning that the child wasn't his, he'd been devastated, thinking that his opportunity for fatherhood was forever gone. With Seven's help, he'd found a way to embrace his paternal instincts once again.

"Have you been successful in finding a romantic partner?" Seven blurted out. In the back of her mind, she knew she could have been more tactful in her questioning, but Kathryn never seemed to mind her blunt mannerisms. Besides, she was genuinely interested in her personal life and making sure Kathryn's was just as fulfilling as her own. When she saw the Admiral's face fall and sadness in her eyes, she did wonder if she'd gone too far this time. "I apologize, that was insensitive. I only meant to inquire about your personal life." Kathryn waved off the comment dismissively with a flick of her wrist.

"Don't apologize," she assured. "It's a legitimate question; one that Chakotay asks me all the time. He tells me he's worried that I'll end up alone after Mark." Seven nodded understandingly. She knew about what had happened between Kathryn and her fiance. At first, she didn't understand why it was such a big deal, but now that she had Chakotay in her life, her feelings were different. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if she were in Kathryn's shoes. It must be incredibly difficult knowing you found the right person for you, and now they're with someone else. "I haven't found anyone, but I'm not overly worried. We've only been back for a few months. There's so much that I have to do, I'm not sure I'd have time to devote to a proper relationship right now."

"I am confident that the right companion is out there for you, Admiral. I would not grow concerned." Ready to open her mouth and point out that she felt she'd already found the right companion, Kathryn opened her mouth. She ultimately decided to keep her comment to herself, because if Mark had been the right person for her, they'd still be together. She couldn't hold it against him, she would have done the same thing if she had been in his position. No, right now she was going to focus on her career and live vicariously through her crew, who seemed to be adjusting better to life on Earth than she expected, especially crewmen such as Seven.

The impromptu lunch with Kathryn had been everything Seven didn't know she needed. The break from the Academy allowed her to reset and clear her mind. It had been a wonderful opportunity to catch up with her old friend as well. It might have been a somewhat rushed lunch, as they both had their respective jobs to get back to. Kathryn was usually able work from home out in Indiana several days a week, but when she did come in, she was pretty much stuck in her office or meetings. The fact that she'd been able to sneak away for a few hours today was nothing short of a miracle.

As she sat at dinner, Seven could tell there was something wrong with Mezoti. The usually hyper child squirmed and fidgeted in her seat more than usual. All Seven had to do was look in her brown eyes and know that there was something on her mind, but she couldn't figure out what. Usually when she wanted something, she simply asked for it. If she was squirming in her seat this much, it must be something important. Rather than inquire as to what was bothering her, Seven acted like nothing was wrong, waiting for her daughter to come clean and say what was bothering her.

Chakotay could see that something was bothering Mezoti as well. Like Seven, he ignored her twitchiness and acted as if nothing were wrong. She'd had difficulty focusing when cooking dinner as well, but she never actually admitted what was on her mind. He figured that if there was something really serious bothering her, then she would speak up, she wasn't the type of person to keep her thoughts to herself.

"I heard Kathryn came to visit you," he said to Seven between bites of dinner.

"She did. She was most helpful in lecturing today. She answered all of my students' questions without any complaints. She is incredibly patient."

"That she is," he agreed. "I'm glad she came by to visit you, she's been meaning to for a while, but whenever she's free, you're always in class."

"Yes, she explained that to me. I assured her, that I don't mind her interruptions. I may even ask her to be a guest speaker in my classes one day. I think her unique insight into the Borg could be highly beneficial to my students."

Chakotay took a sip of his water and commented dryly, "If unique insight you mean suicidal, cavalier approach to dealing with the Borg, then I think you're correct." He never understood Kathryn's attitude toward the Borg. Just like every other Starfleet officer, she greatly feared the Borg, but, at the same time, she also took every opportunity to antagonize them, like a young child poking a poisonous snake with a stick just to see how it would react. He thought it was wholeheartedly reckless, but there was very little he could do about it.

"I do think that she would not be suited to discuss how to engage the Borg, as she always seemed to make matters worse before they got better." He rolled his eyes. That was definitely an understatement. Kathryn never shied away from engaging the Borg in battle, even if the odds appeared against them. Thankfully, things always worked out for them in the end.

Mezoti tapped her fork impatiently against the table mindlessly as her mother and Chakotay continued to talk. Usually she found their conversations fascinating, as they dropped hints about exciting events going on at Starfleet. Today, however, she wiggled impatiently in her seat, waiting for a lull in the conversation so she could finally speak. At long last, Chakotay and Seven stopped talking.

"Mama, can Axuna come over after school one day?" she finally blurted out without warning. The request caught both Seven and Chakotay off guard, although he figured he should have expected such a request eventually. Every day when he picked Mezoti up from school, all she could talk about was what she and Axuna did and how much fun they had.

"To do what?" Seven inquired skeptically. In her mind, time after school was dedicated to homework and family, she spent enough time at school playing with her friend.

"It's called a playdate, sweetheart," Chakotay explained. "It's common for children."

"She could come over after school one day, and we'll do our homework first, I promise, and then we can play together, and she said that her mama can pick her up after dinner on her way home from work. Please, Mama? I _promise_ we'll do all our homework before we play. It'll be fun." Seven looked at Chakotay. The look in her crystal blue told him that she felt incredibly skeptical of such a request; she still didn't understand why Mezoti felt the need to play more with her friend after they spent so much time together at school. His brown eyes were far more forgiving, telling her that he didn't think it was such a terrible idea. As they had a silent conversation with their eyes, Mezoti was left squirming in her seat, wondering what was going on and what they were thinking. "So, can she come over?"

"I do not know if this is a wise idea," Seven finally admitted slowly.

"But Mama!" Mezoti protested loudly. In an attempt to keep the peace, Chakotay raised his hand, instantly hushing the child. He wasn't ready to throw in the towel and agree with Seven quite yet.

"Perhaps this is something we can discuss further," he carefully suggested as he turned to face Seven. She pursed her lips in frustration. While she knew his heart was in the right place, she felt that he was undermining her authority as Mezoti's primary caregiver.

"Very well," she consented reluctantly. That was all Mezoti needed to be convinced that this playdate might actually happen. She knew Chakotay had a way to persuade her mother to do things she otherwise might not want to do. A smile flashed across her face as she jumped to her feet.

"Thank you!" she gushed as she threw her arms around Chakotay's neck. Chuckling, he returned the hug, ignoring the fact that Seven obviously wasn't happy. She seemed displeased that the conversation wasn't over, but one look at her daughter's face told her that it might be worth further consideration.

After she cleaned up from dinner, Seven sat on the couch and rubbed the back of her neck. Mezoti was upstairs playing, giving her and Chakotay a chance to talk privately. Sensing something was bothering her, he sat on the back of the couch. Wordlessly, he began to rub her neck. His strong fingers kneaded her pale flesh, working out the tension that he hadn't realized she was carrying.

"What's bothering you?" he asked. An involuntary moan slipped past her lips as she tilted her head back to look up at him. "Is it Mezoti's playdate?" She leaned her cheek against his thigh as he continued to massage her neck and shoulders. His fingertips brushed underneath the collar of her bodysuit, massaging the tense muscles. Mezoti's request was bothering her, but there was something else on her mind as well.

"Would you still love me if I halted my pursuit of perfection?" she blurted out. The question surprised Chakotay. He honestly thought that Mezoti's request for a playdate was what was bothering her. He stopped massaging her, trying to think of an appropriate answer. He had to tread lightly, as she undoubtedly had a correct answer in mind.

"Sweetheart, I'd love you no matter what," he stated lovingly, knowing that that was the right way to go, and it was absolutely true. "And I already think you're perfect. I'll support your decisions, no matter what." He trailed his fingertip along her jaw and kissed her forehead softly. "Of course, if you wanted woke up one morning and decided that you were going to take Mezoti and rejoin the Collective, then I might have something to say, but other than that, I think whatever you do is perfect already."

"Your opinion of me is slightly biased."

"Of course it is, but it's obviously still relevant to you, or else you wouldn't have asked." He went back to rubbing her shoulders, prompting her to lean forward and close her eyes. "Where's this coming from, Seven?" He expected her to be more preoccupied by Mezoti's request for a playdate.

"It's nothing, simply a conversation I had with the Admiral this afternoon about perfection. It has caused me to reflect on my actions and my beliefs about perfection." His fingers mindlessly worked against her skin. The more she relaxed, the looser her lips became, granting him further insight into what was on her mind. "Admiral Janeway pointed out that imperfection causes humans to rely on each other, to help them form bonds of friendship in a way. She also explained that if we love someone, we are willing to look past imperfections."

"Are you implying that I'm not perfect?" Chakotay teased. Smirking, Seven tilted her head back. She reached up, pulling his head down to kiss him softly.

"That was never my implication," she murmured. He pecked her lightly one more time before sitting up properly and going back to rubbing her shoulders.

As much as her talk with Chakotay made her feel better, Seven still couldn't help but think about Mezoti's request for a playdate with Axuna. There was a lot on her mind tonight, and as soon as she stopped worrying about her pursuit for perfection, thoughts of Mezoti's out of the blue request came flooding back.

"Do you feel that Mezoti's request for a playdate is reasonable request?" she asked as she closed her eyes and leaned against Chakotay's leg. He stopped rubbing her shoulder and instead stroked her hair affectionately. To her, it was just as relaxing as when he rubbed her shoulders. He pulled out the small metal pin that held her French twist in place, sending her platinum waves tumbling free. He ran his fingers through the silky locks, gently working through any tangles he came across with patience and diligence.

"I do," he replied softly, continuing to run his fingers through her hair. "You said that socialization is an essential aspect of school, and this is a part of socialization." She opened her eyes and sat up properly. She hated that he was using he own words against her.

"This is a strange child, Chakotay. We do not know who she is or who her family is."

"What is she going to do, Seven, rob us blind?" he teased with a chuckle. "This is a little girl, and your daughter's only friend around here. You said it yourself, you can't remember the last time you saw her so happy." He brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. "After everything she's been through, doesn't she deserve something as simple as a playdate?" It was almost impossible for her to argue with that logic.

"Are you sure you are equipped to handle two young girls after school?"

"I think I can manage." Chakotay figured it would be significantly easier than handling just Mezoti, as they would entertain each other, leaving him free to do his own thing. "Don't worry, it'll be okay. With any luck, we'll be able send Mezoti to Axuna's house for a playdate in the future, giving us a few hours alone." Seven raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Send Mezoti to a stranger's house? I hardly think that that's appropriate."

"Nothing will happen to her, babe, it's perfectly normal. I went to friends' houses all the time when I was a kid, and I'm sure you did too, you just don't remember." The notion of sending Mezoti to a complete stranger's house, even for a few hours, still didn't sit well with her. It was her responsibility to look after her daughter's well being, and there was no way to know what these strangers were like. She wasn't going to let that worry her right now, however, because Axuna was coming here. It still made her feel uncomfortable, but not nearly as much. Besides, it didn't seem to bother Chakotay, so she wasn't going to let it bother her.

Mezoti sat on the floor in front of her bookshelf, her eyes scanning the titles in search of something to read. She knew her mama and Chakotay were discussing if Axuna could come over. She also knew that her mama wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea. With any luck, Chakotay would be able to talk her into it. She didn't feel that it was an unreasonable request. At school, children were always talking about going over to each others' houses, and she wanted to be a part of that. It was only for a few hours, and she always got her homework done every night with plenty of time to spare, so she wouldn't have to worry about that. She would be willing to do anything to have Axuna come over. To her, it would mean that they were truly friends, not just two girls who hung out together at school. Their friendship would cross over into an entirely new parameter, if only her mother would say yes.

With a book finally selected, Mezoti wove her way over the piles of dirty clothes, toys and even more books to her bed. No sooner did she sit down did someone knock on the door. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest, this was the moment she'd been waiting all evening for. When the door opened, she was surprised to see Chakotay, not her mother, walk in.

"May I come in?" he asked, although he was already in her room.

"Yeah," she croaked nervously. He sat on the bed next to her. He could feel the nervousness in the air.

"So your mother and I talked…" He trailed off and looked down at her. He could see it in her eyes, she thought they were going to say no. "And we think that a playdate with Axuna is fine. We'll contact her parents and make the arrangements." Mezoti's brown eyes immediately lit up when she realized that she was getting what she wanted. "There is a catch though." For a moment, her face fell. There was always a catch it seemed. "You need to clean up this room of yours, especially if you have a friend coming over." As he spoke, Chakotay glanced around the room. It was even worse than he imagined. In addition to the toys, books and clothes that littered the floor, there were some twigs from one of her specimen containers and the pieces of a kadis-kot game, although the actual game board was nowhere to be seen. It looked like a tornado had ravaged through here, leaving a path of destruction in its path..

"Really? Thank you!" Mezoti gushed as she threw her arms around Chakotay's neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. She'd heard that she needed to clean her room, but she was too excited about having a playdate to care. Mezoti kept her arms locked firmly around his neck, refusing to let go. He patted her back and almost kissed the top of her head but ultimately decided against it. This hadn't been the first time she kissed him, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for him to return the favor. It wasn't that he didn't care about the child, he didn't want to push it, not after all the work he'd put into strengthening their relationship.

When Mezoti finally pulled away from Chakotay, he caught sight of the book sitting on the bed next to her. Feeling curious, he picked up the book for further examination. It was no secret that she loved to read, but he'd never actually taken the time to see what she was reading. She was a bright child, and he didn't want to make it seem like he was stifling her curiosity.

As he picked up the book, he asked, "What are you reading?"

" _Treasure Island_ ," she replied. "I thought it sounded interesting. Have you read it?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Chakotay turned the book over in his hands several times, feeling the smooth cardboard under his touch. Most people opted to read on PADDs now, but Mezoti always seemed to love reading physical books, just like him.

"Many times," he replied. "It's one of my favorites." He thought back to his childhood and all the times he'd hide in the trees surrounding his house, avoiding responsibilities and getting lost in a good book. He'd always admired Jim Hawkins' courage and wanted nothing more than to be whisked away on some fantastic adventure. In a way, he had over the past seven years, but, in the back of his mind, he'd always want an adventure like Jim's.

"Do you want to read it with me?" Mezoti asked. After telling her that Axuna could come over, Chakotay planned on retreating to his office to get some work done, but the prospect of reading with her was far too appealing. Besides, he could do his work later after she went to bed. In his mind, this was far more important to him.

"I'd love to," he replied.

With a smile plastered across her face, Mezoti slid under the covers. Chakotay shifted so one of his legs was draped on the bed next to her while the other supported his weight on the floor. Both leaned against the headboard, although he wrapped an arm around her. She settled comfortably against him and opened the book to the first page, holding it so both of them could read along.

"Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17- and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof," she read aloud in a crisp, clean voice as Chakotay followed along, reading over her shoulder. As she read, his hand rested on her forearm, stroking her skin mindlessly with his thumb. She was very aware of his touch and found it relaxing. She couldn't believe that a few weeks ago she hadn't wanted to be here, and now she loved every minute of it.

When Seven was upstairs, she was surprised to hear Mezoti chattering in her bedroom. Unsure who in the world the child could be talking to, she poked her head in her bedroom where she saw her cuddled up against Chakotay, reading a book aloud. Neither of them noticed. Instead, they were focused intently on their book. For a moment, she stood in the doorway, watching them interact. Mezoti slowly read each word, unfolding the story and weaving a fantastical tale while Chakotay listened with unwavering patience and dedication. What caught her by surprise wasn't the fact that they were reading together but how natural it seemed. They were completely relaxed together, as if this were something they'd been doing every night for years, not something new. She was glad to see it, it meant that their relationship was continuing to grow and strengthen with each passing day.

 **Author's Note:** Love it? Hate it? Let me know in a review.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

Mezoti drummed her fingers impatiently against her desk. She propped her face up with her free hand in a fist, crushing her cheek in a less than flattering manner. Try as she might, she simply couldn't concentrate. Today was the day Axuna was coming over to play after school, and that was all she could focus on. She'd played many times with Naomi, both in the Wildmans' quarters and the cargobay, but she didn't count that as a playdate because they both lived on _Voyager_ and spent together all the time. This was technically her first ever playdate, if it ever came around that is. Each second seemed to drag on for an eternity. All she wanted was to get out of here and get her playdate started. Normally school didn't bother her as much, thanks to her friendship with Axuna. It usually didn't bother her that she already knew much of the material, but today she simply couldn't focus.

Suddenly, it dawned on Mezoti that everyone was staring at her. Startled, she sat up straighter and looked around. Even was staring at her. Her heart pounded nervously in her chest. Clearly, she'd missed something, although she had no idea what. She really should have been paying better attention. In the back of her mind, she could hear her mother scolding her for the inappropriate behavior.

"Mezoti, do you know the answer?" Ms. Coalburg asked. There was a certain expectant look in her eyes that told the child that she was their last chance, nobody else knew the answer, which was why she was turning to her. Mezoti's eyes darted back and forth nervously as she tried to figure out what had been asked. She saw Naya snicker as she glared at her, making her all the more determined to figure out what the question had been. On the board was a seemingly complex math problem, but all it took was a quick glance to figure out the answer. She just hoped that it was the problem they were talking about.

"X equals six n," she finally replied in a bored tone. Naya's gaze hardened, which told her that not only was it the right problem, but the right answer as well.

"Okay, we were just looking for the next step to solve the equation, but we can move on to the next problem and try again." There was a hint of annoyance in Ms. Coalburg's voice as she cleared the screen and prepared the next math problem. Mezoti felt bad for not paying attention, but it was quickly banished as she thought about all the plans she had for today with Axuna. Since she was normally a pretty strong student, she figured she could slip up every once in awhile.

The bell rang, signaling time for lunch. Just like everyone else, Mezoti left her books and PADDs on her desk and rushed out the door to the cafeteria. She and Axuna had some last minute planning to do for today, and she didn't want to waste a single minute. They'd been talking nonstop every day for the past week, planning for today, not overlooking a single detail to maximize what little time they had to play, and they both wanted to be perfect. It was exhilarating to know that her friend was finally coming over, and they would be able to see each other outside the confines of school. It was also the first time she'd ever had a friend over.

With her tray in hand, Mezoti sat down across from Axuna. The way the redhead bounced up and down in her seat told her that she was equally excited about today. She looked just as excited about today as Mezoti felt as gathered up her belongings and slid her tray out of the way to make room for her friend.

"So what time are we being picked up?" Axuna blurted out the moment Mezoti sat down, not even giving her a chance to get settled.

"Chakotay is always here at dismissal," she replied before taking a bite of her lunch, which was some sort of pasta and red sauce that she assumed was spaghetti but didn't quite taste right. She felt confident that she would be able to make far better, with the help of Chakotay of course. "Then we'll go to my house, and he'll probably tell us to do some homework before we can play." Axuna didn't want to go to Mezoti's house to do homework, but they would probably be able to get it done quickly and then proceed to play. An hour of homework wouldn't kill them. Besides, they would have to get it done eventually, so they might as well get it done together.

"I'm so excited to go to your house. But…" Mezoti's heart skipped a beat. For a moment she thought that Axuna would tell her that she changed her mind and couldn't come today. All their planning, all the excitement would be for nothing.

"But what?" she inquired anxiously.

"I'm also nervous," Axuna admitted. "I mean, your mom and stepdad are _famous_. I've never met anyone famous before." Mezoti couldn't help but roll her eyes. The very idea that her mom and Chakotay were famous was absolutely ridiculous. Sure, around Starfleet they were legendary, some might argue right up there with the other famous Starfleet officers, and they'll go down in history. To her, however, they were only her mom and Chakotay, who were sometimes obnoxious and bossy, just like any other set of parents.

"My mama and Chakotay are hardly famous," she commented dryly. "They're merely Starfleet officers. They're actually quite boring." Axuna scoffed at the notion. In her mind, no Starfleet officer could ever be boring, especially those who survived in the Delta Quadrant.

"They're not any Starfleet officers, they were on _Voyager_ , one of the most famous starships to ever exist. They went to the Delta Quadrant and back."

"And I was born in the Delta Quadrant," Mezoti reasoned. "Does that make me famous as well?" She couldn't figure out why her friend was being so ridiculous. When she met her mom and Chakotay, she'd see that they were anything but special.

"Of course it does," Axuna gushed. Mezoti was about to point out that if she were famous, people would treat her better at school, but she ultimately decided against it. This wasn't a conversation about her, and, with the help of Axuna, things were greatly improving here at school. "But you're my friend, I know who you are. Your mama and Chakotay…" Axuna trailed off as she tried to think of the proper words to describe the couple. In her mind, they were two of the most exciting people in Starfleet. They're going to go down in history. _Everyone_ is going to learn their names, along with Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and all of them." Mezoti rolled her eyes and took a sip of her juice. That may be true, but that didn't make them special. They're still people, just like everyone else around here.

"I believe you are over exaggerating their prestige," she commented. "They're Starfleet officers, nothing more, which you will discover today. My mama and Chakotay are hardly worth getting nervous about. As I said before, they're quite boring." Try as she might, Mezoti felt that she would never understand the fascination behind _Voyager_. To her, it was simply a place she lived for about a year and a half. If Axuna spent any time aboard _Voyager_ , she'd realize that it was just as boring as Seven and Chakotay.

After her conversation with Axuna at lunch, nervousness replaced Mezoti's excitement for the rest of the day. Her friend had a certain expectation about her family, that they were exciting space explorers who lead larger than life existences. In actuality, they were just normal people, and they were the same normal people in the Delta Quadrant. They weren't anything special, but Mezoti worried that when Axuna discovered that, she wouldn't want to be friends anymore. She feared that her friend simply hung out with her because she wanted to meet her parents and rub elbows with someone famous, and once that happened, she wouldn't want to spend time together anymore. It was a horrible thought that she simply couldn't shake. Then, she'd be without any friends her age on this planet, and the thought terrified her.

At long last, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Usually Mezoti was one of the last students to leave, as she didn't like leaving with everyone else and risk running into Naya and Priya, not to mention all the uncomfortable stares. Today, however, was a completely different story. Yes, she was still worried about Axuna not thinking her life was so exciting after she met her mom and Chakotay, but she was also excited to have her first ever playdate, and now that it was the end of the day, that excitement finally won out over the anxiety. No matter what happened after today, she was determined to make this afternoon as entertaining as possible.

Mezoti burst down the hall, weaving through throngs of students until she saw a flash of red hair that could only be Axuna. Eager to catch up with her friend so they could walk out of the building together, she twisted and turned her body, dodging students and staff alike until finally skidding to a stop next to her.

"Hi," she gasped as she caught her breath. Axuna linked their arms so they didn't get separated. The last thing she wanted to do was show up in front of Captain Chakotay on her own; it would only add to her own nervous about today.

"I'm so excited," she gushed as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "I could barely pay attention in class. Mr. Saunders called on me, and I had no idea what we were talking about. I thought we were still talking about history, so I said the Battle of Yorktown, but we were learning about science, so that wasn't the answer." Mezoti threw her head back and laughed as they walked.

"The same thing happened to me, but we were doing math. I accidentally solved the problem when I was just supposed to say the next step." She lowered her voice. "Naya was so mad at me."

"Naya's mad at everyone," Axuna pointed out. "Just ignore her. She's not worth getting upset about." Caught up in the stream of students, they exited the building where the sun hid behind an overcast of clouds. Scowling slightly, Mezoti looked up at the sky. Of course it might rain the one day she finally had someone to play outside with. Hopefully the rain would hold out until after her playdate was over, but the dark grey clouds didn't bode well; they looked like they were ready to burst at any moment, pouring water down on everyone in the process.

Mezoti saw Chakotay waiting in his usual spot outside his shuttle. She kept her arm looped through Axuna's and lead her over to him. Axuna could hardly believe it. She'd read so much about Commander...no Captain Chakotay and his work aboard _Voyager_ , and here he was, standing right in front of her. Of course, she'd seen him from a distance countless times when he picked Mezoti up from school, but she was always in a hurry to get to her own shuttle, so she never actually had the time to talk to him.

"Hello ladies," he greeted as he reached out and took Mezoti's backpack. "How was school today?"

"It was okay," Mezoti replied with a careless shrug. "We did some rudimentary algebra in math, but it was fairly easy, Icheb taught me more complex math problems last year."

"I'm sure you'll get more complex problems," Chakotay assured. There was no doubt in his mind that Seven would give her more difficult problems once she looked over her homework and disapproved of it, just like she normally did. He turned to Axuna and offered, "Axuna, can I take your backpack?"

"Oh, uhhh, thank you, Sir." She handed over her dark green backpack and followed him and Mezoti into the shuttle. She felt bad for him, carrying both their backpacks. It wasn't that they weighed a lot, she just didn't think it was his job. Given the fact that he offered, however, she didn't want to be rude.

"How was your day, Axuna?" he asked as they took their seats and buckled up. Caught off guard, Axuna wasn't sure how to react. She didn't expect him to actually talk to her, to take interest in her day.

"My day?" she repeated, unsure of herself. How had her day been? Sometimes her parents asked her how her day was, but it was usually out of politeness. Chakotay seemed genuinely curious to know how her day was, which surprised her. Here he was, a complete stranger, and he wanted to know how her day at school had been. "It was pretty good. We learned about an ancient war in America where it gained its independence from England. Have you learned about it?"

"I have. The American Revolution was a key aspect of American history. It encouraged many other countries to overthrow oppressive governments. In a way, it laid the foundation for the Federation."  
"How?" Mezoit asked from her seat next to Chakotay at the front of the shuttle. She could hardly see the connection between the American Revolution and the formation of the Federation, they had happened nearly four hundred years apart.

"Well, the American Revolution showed the world that men and women wouldn't stand for oppression. The Federation maintains equality for all, regardless of who they are or what they believe. It's taken the ideas that started in the American Revolution and carried them out across the Quadrant."

"Do you think the Federation will ever spread to other Quadrants, like the Delta Quadrant?" Axuna asked from her seat behind Mezoti. Her eyes shined brightly with the prospect of the Federation including the mysterious and fascinating Delta Quadrant.

"I don't know," Chakotay replied. "First we need to work on transwarp technology and getting to the Delta Quadrant in a much more efficient manner. It's a wonderful concept to consider: uniting all of the galaxy together in one Federation." In the back of his mind, he wondered if Axuna's suggestion would ever be able to come into fruition. Several civilizations in the Delta Quadrant had heard about the Federation now, all thanks to _Voyager_ 's adventure. With any luck, that would make it easier to unite everyone under the Federation when they finally got back there, whenever that was. Based on what he heard from Seven and B'Elanna, they were a ways away from that, no matter how much they wanted to get back there.

Mezoti's house was everything Axuna's house wasn't, or at least that's what the guest thought. It was neat, orderly and perfectly decorated. In fact, with the exception of a few personal items, such as a pair of shoes or a jacket, it looked like it was a model home. Everything was in its rightful place. Beautiful, unique artwork adorned the walls. One piece of artwork in particular caught her attention in the hallway leading from the foyer. The painting appeared to be on a piece of work animal skin with a mysterious figure in a black circle in the center. White, red, gold and green feathers circled the figure, like the rays of a sun, leading out to a dark green circle surrounded by a dark red circle. Axuna openly stared at the painting.

"What are you looking at?" Mezoti asked. She passed by that painting at least half a dozen times a day, and she never gave it a second glance. To her, it was simply a part of the decor, all taken care of by Chakotay before she and her mother moved in here.

"The painting. It's so pretty," Axuna replied.

"It's a painting from my people's tribe," Chakotay explained as he slid off his shoes and tucked them out of the way next to the front door in their designated spot. "Okay girls, how about you get a snack and spend half an hour doing homework?" Scowls flashed across both girls' faces. "Just half an hour, it won't kill you. Then you can do whatever you want. Got it?"

"Okay," Mezoti grumbled. Despite the fact that she had warned Axuna that they would be expected to do some homework, she still hoped that Chakotay would let it slide. Between him and her mother, he was far more lenient and more likely to let her do what she wanted.

Chakotay trusted the two girls to dedicate half an hour to homework and went upstairs to his office to get some work done himself. Axuna and Mezoti grabbed their backpacks, and Mezoti lead her to the kitchen where they could replicate some snacks and do some homework. As soon as Axuna saw the line of photos along the table behind one of the couches, she forgot about doing her homework and made a beeline for the photos.

"That's the crew of _Voyager_ ," she whispered excitedly as she snatched up one of the holoimages and carefully analyzed it. Her eyes grew wide, soaking in every last detail of the image, committing it to memory. "I've never seen this holoimage before. It wasn't in any of the reports released." curious to see what photo she was talking about, Mezoti peered over Axuna's shoulder at the photo from the Ancestor's Day celebration on _Voyager_.

"It's from a celebration on _Voyager_ before I got there." She wasn't surprised it wasn't a part of any reports. There were hundreds, if not thousands of photos of the crew that hadn't been publically released, as they were part of their personal logs. Their private lives were just that, private; they were under no obligation to share anything other than the official logs with the public.

"Do you miss it?" Axuna asked out of the blue, changing the subject slightly. The question caused a pit to form in Mezoti's stomach. She'd gladly give up everything she loved here on Earth to go back to _Voyager_ , even for one day. She missed the freedom to roam about as she pleased, the exploration of the unknown and she especially missed the close family ties. It might be little more than a starship, and it wasn't as exciting as Axuna believed, but there was an innate excitement that came with living on a starship that simply couldn't be replicated here on Earth. She would love to go back, even if it was just for a visit. At least there, nobody stared at her implants.

"Yes, I do," she replied softly. Without warning, she snatched the framed holoimage out of Axuna's hand and put it back in its rightful place. "We should do our homework so we can play." Axuna knew she was right. The sooner they got their homework done, the sooner they would be able to do what they wanted.

Mezoti considered giving Axuna a tour of the house, but there wasn't a whole lot to show. To her, it was just her house, it wasn't anything particularly special. She didn't even notice the little trinkets and artifacts Chakotay so artfully arranged around the house. To her, they all blended into the background. She didn't even bother asking what they were, so she wouldn't be able to describe them to Axuna. It wasn't worth taking the time to point them out to her friend. Instead, she opted to lead her into the kitchen for a snack and some homework.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked as she stood on her tiptoes to access the control panel.

"Umm...whatever you want," Axuna replied. She replicated a large bowl of popcorn, one of her favorite after school snacks, and put it in the middle of the kitchen table. Axuna's attention was distracted by the large backyard and playground on the far side of the property. "I love your backyard," she gushed. "If I had a yard like that, I'd never come inside."

"It is a quite enjoyable place to play. I enjoy collecting bugs in my spare time out there."

"I can't wait to see your bug collection." Axuna grabbed a kernal of popcorn and popped it in her mouth. "Your sketches are so cool." Mezoti blushed slightly at the compliment. She hadn't meant to show off her sketches to her friend, but they came up in conversation once, and then Axuna wanted to see them for herself. She didn't think they were as amazing as her friend made them out to be.

"They're nothing, just sketches," she muttered shyly.

"They're awesome sketches. Have you seen my drawings for art class? They're so bad. I can't even draw stick figures." Mezoti had seen some of Axuna's artwork. It wasn't as terrible as she made it out to be, there were far more worse artists amongst the student population. Like any skill, Axuna would become more a more proficient artist if she practiced more.

As Axuna did her homework at the kitchen table with Mezoti, she noticed the door on the far side of the living room. At first she thought that it was the door to a bathroom, but it seemed like a strange place to put a bathroom. She couldn't figure out what was past that mysterious door.

She took a bite of popcorn and asked, "What's in there?" Confused, Mezoti glanced over her shoulder towards the mysterious doorway.

"Oh, that leads downstairs," she replied.

"What's down there?"

"Some storage, our alcove for regenerating and Chakotay's boxing stuff." Mezoti's eyes sparkled as she leaned forward and whispered. "He's been teaching me to box, but we're not allowed to tell my mama or else she'll get mad. She already doesn't approve of his boxing, and she'll be displeased to discover I've been learning to box as well." To say that Seven disapproved of Chakotay's boxing was an understatement. Like the Doctor, she found it barbaric and pointless.

"Can I see your alcove?" Out of respect for her friend, Axuna never asked Mezoti about being a Borg, she knew she got enough comments about it from other students. Besides, it didn't matter to her. Her friend was no longer a drone, and she couldn't blame her for being a Borg; it would be like someone blaming her for being human. As far as she was concerned, Mezoti was just another little girl, exactly like her.

"My mama said that we're not allowed downstairs. There's nothing of interest down there, and she does not want something to happen to the alcove." Axuna looked disappointed. With the exception of the implants that Mezoti wore, she'd never seen Borg technology before. Starfleet kept every scrap of Borg technology under lock and key, so it was exciting to think that her friend had an entire alcove right downstairs. Perhaps one day she would be lucky enough to see it for herself. Right now, it would have to remain an elusive mystery.

After finishing the entire bowl of popcorn and completing the requisite half an hour of homework, Mezoti and Axuna shoved their books back in their bags and headed upstairs. On their way, they carelessly tossed their bags by the front door, prompting the contents to spill out all across the foyer.

"Your house is a lot nicer than my house," Axuna commented as they mounted the stairs. "And a lot quieter. My brothers and sister are always shouting and playing. It's hard to do homework or anything." Mezoti couldn't imagine that. With the exception of music or a transmission over the computer system, there was almost never noise in her house; it was relaxing but also stifling. Sometimes she longed for some noise, some excitement around here just to mix things up a little bit.

"There are only three of us living here, so there isn't a lot of noise. Sometimes I wish there was some, it can get quite boring here." They came to a stop at the top of the stairs, and Mezoti lead Axuna to her bedroom.

"What's down there?" Axuna asked as she peered down the hallway with a curious look on her face. Mezoti thought that maybe she should have given her friend a tour of the house, although there wasn't anything to really see. She couldn't show her the basement, and it would be improper to show her her mom and Chakotay's bedroom and offices, so she'd seen just about everything at this point.

"My mama and Chakotay's bedroom and their offices," Mezoti replied as she opened her bedroom door, leading Axuna inside.

As much as she hated cleaning her room, Mezoti had to admit that she was glad she had done it. The cleaned up space gave her and Axuna the ability to sit wherever they wanted and play. The first thing Axuna did was admire the specimen containers that lined her desk. Inside were a variety of insects. Scattered across the desk were various sketches in the process of development that Mezoti forgot to put away before heading to school this morning.

"These are so cool," Axuna breathed as she crouched down and got a closer look at the contents of the specimen containers. "Do you catch these in your backyard?"

"And the front yard," Mezoti replied. "I keep them for several days before releasing them again. It would be unfair to keep them for extended periods of time." Axuna was tempted to pick up one of the specimen containers to get a closer look but ultimately decided against it, she didn't want to break the container or startle the insect. She wished her bedroom looked this impressive. She had to share a room with her sister, whose stuffed animals were strewn across the room, making it look like the bedroom of a five year old, not a nine year old. It was incredibly frustrating, as she just wanted a space of her own like Mezoti had, a place where she could express herself and not fight with her little sister about keeping the lights on so she could read.

In the privacy of his office, Chakotay sat in one of the wing backed chairs with his book. Not in the mood to do any work right now, he instead elected to relax a little first. Over the relaxing music that pumped through the speakers hidden in the walls, he could hear the chatter of the girls as they played in Mezoti's bedroom right down the hall. The sound of Mezoti having fun was like music to his ears. He did make sure to keep his ears open, just in case things turned sour. He knew from seeing Naomi and Mezoti play, sometimes little girls could get a little feisty and disagree, but he doubted anything like that would happen. Mezoti had been looking forward to this so much that he knew she'd do anything to ensure it all went smoothly.

A ringing on the LCARS system perched on Chakotay's desk drew his attention away from his book. He had no idea who would be calling him, and he hoped it wasn't Starfleet, summoning him down to Headquarters for some sort of emergency, as he had no one to watch the girls, and he couldn't exactly leave them home alone. When he answered the call, Seven's face appeared on the screen.

"Seven!" he exclaimed in surprise. Never before had she called him at home from work, and a million terrible thoughts all rushed to his mind at once, all worse than the last. "What's wrong? Is everything alright?" He had a wild look in his eyes, ready to jump up and rush to her aid if necessary, despite his previous thoughts that he couldn't leave the girls home alone.

"Everything is fine," she assured. "No students have arrived at my office hours today, and I thought I would call to say hello." Chakotay wasn't buying it for one minute. He knew Seven well enough to know that she would never call out of the blue just to talk, especially when she was on the clock at work. There had to be something on her mind, and he knew exactly what it was.

"The girls are fine, babe. They had a snack, did some homework and are now playing in Mezoti's room. You don't need to worry, and you don't need to call here checking on them. Everything's going great." Even through the video screen, he could see that she was flustered. Her gaze quickly averted, and she pretended to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. She never expected him to call her out so bluntly for her actions.

"It was not my intention to be deceitful. I simply wished to inquire as to the success of the playdate." She still sounded uncomfortable with the word "playdate", as if it were some strange language she was unfamiliar with. He found it somewhat humorous.

"It's going great. Axuna is a very sweet and polite little girl. Mezoti has found a wonderful friend in her." Seven relaxed. She wished she could be there to meet this girl for herself. With any luck, she would be home a little early today and get to meet the little girl for herself so she could pass her own judgement on her. She wanted to know as much as possible about her daughter's latest friend.

Something Chakotay couldn't see caught Seven's attention. She sat up straighter and turned her computer slightly as if blocking her screen from view from whoever suddenly had her attention. Chakotay shifted in his seat as he tried to figure out what was going on. He knew it wasn't anything serious, he just wanted to know who had arrived.

"I have to go," she said quickly. "A student has just arrived. I will attempt to be back at a reasonable hour tonight." Ever the professional, Seven didn't say "I love you" or provide any other type of intimate farewell. Before he could get a word in edgewise, she ended the transmission, and his screen went dark.

"Kadis-kot!" Mezoti announced proudly. Beaming from ear to ear, she bounced up and down on her bed. Across from her, Axuna scowled slightly in defeat but didn't take it personally. Try as she might, she simply wasn't very good at kadis-kot. The only person who played with her was her sister, and she was absolutely terrible at it, which meant she didn't have a chance to get any better at the game. "Would you like to play again?"

"Sure." While Mezoti set up the game board, Axuna noticed the book carefully placed on the nightstand. She picked it up and realized that it was one of the books she recommended. "What do you think of _Treasure Island_?" she asked.

"Huh?" Mezoti had been so wrapped up in setting up the board that she hadn't realized that Axuna had picked up the book. "Oh, I really enjoy it. Chakotay and I are reading it together." Curious to see where her friend was, Axuna flipped through the book, scanning over the page quickly.

"You know, you talk about him a lot," she pointed out as she continued to flip through the book, searching for her favorite part to reread it quickly.

Mezoti glanced up from the blue gameboard and asked, "Talk about who?"

"Chakotay, you do it at school too. You talk about what you guys made for dinner, what you guys talk about; you talk about him more than you talk about your mom." Mezoti had never thought about it before. She always thought she talked about both her mother and Chakotay equally, as she cared about them both. Never did it dawn on her that she favored talking about Chakotay more than her mom.

"I never noticed," she admitted. "Is that a bad thing?" Axuna scrunched her nose and shook her head as she put the book back in its rightful place.

"No, not really, just something I noticed. You seem very close to him."

"I do spend a lot of time with him after school. My mama doesn't get home until right before dinner, so we usually spend this time together, and then after dinner, I spend a little bit of time with her before I go to bed or regenerate for the night." Axuna didn't think it was a bad thing. Based on the limited amount of time she'd spent with Chakotay, she could tell that he was a very kind and caring person. In her opinion, it would be difficult not to become close to him.

Since Axuna was here, Chakotay was on his own making dinner. At first, he didn't mind, until he realized just how much Mezoti helped him in the kitchen. Usually she was the one who cut up the vegetables and other tasks he didn't like to do himself. It wasn't a big deal though, he couldn't exactly tell Mezoti to stop playing with her friend and come help him. He could handle things on his own. While he might have to do everything on his own, it was actually much faster for him to do everything without having to give Mezoti directions. As obsessed with perfection as her mother, Mezoti was slow and methodical with her food preparation and always wanted her work to be checked, which was hardly necessary when cooking for the three of them. On his own, he was able to quickly slice the vegetables for tonight's meal and add them to the food cooking on the stove. Dinner might actually be done earlier than usual today.

Right in the middle of his cooking, the doorbell rang, interrupting Chakotay. He wiped his hands on the dishtowel hanging from the oven door and went to see who was here, although he already figured that it was Axuna's mother, picking her up on her way home from work as planned.

"Girls, Axuna's mom is here," he called from the bottom of the stairs before opening the door. Axuna was the spitting image of her mother, who had equally vibrant red hair, which was pinned back in a simple bun. She had the same round baby face, albeit much more mature, and startling blue eyes. "Hello," he greeted with his classic boyish smile. "Please, come in." He stood to the side and welcomed her inside. "Chakotay," he said as he extended his hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Chakotay. I'm Galea." They shook hands. Seven had handled all the planning for the playdate, including speaking to Axuna's parents. This was the first time he'd even seen her mother. Upstairs, they could hear the girls scrambling as Axuna prepared to leave. There was a loud thump, followed moments later by the scamper of feet. "How was Axuna?"

"She was perfect. She's welcome back here anytime." Galea appeared relieved, but Chakotay couldn't figure out why. Axuna had been absolutely angelic, a model guest and someone who he would gladly welcome back. Not only was she perfectly well behaved, but she and Mezoti obviously enjoyed themselves. He couldn't imagine the child causing any sort of problem, and he really did mean it when he said that she was always welcome back here.

"Maybe Mezoti would like to come to our house after school one day," Galea suggested.

"Can I?" Mezoti blurted out from behind as she and Axuna pounded down the stairs, one right after the other. They sounded like a herd of elephants, not two little girls. "Please?"

"That's a decision for your mother to make," Chakotay replied. In all honesty, he thought it was a fantastic idea, but he didn't want to say that aloud because Mezoti would interpret that as him giving her permission for a second playdate. It had taken a lot of effort to convince Seven to allow Axuna to come here, and he couldn't imagine what it would take to get her to allow Mezoti to go there. Besides, when it came to Mezoti, he was just here to keep an eye on her. In his mind, Seven was the central authority figure, the one who made all the final decisions, and he just supported whatever she said. Pouting, Mezoti leaned against the bannister. She'd ask her mother the second she got home. With any luck, she'd say yes.

"Well, Mezoti is more than welcome to come over to our house after you talk to your wife." Mezoti did her best to stifle a giggle behind her hand at the notion of her mom and Chakotay being married. Didn't she see that Chakotay wasn't wearing a wedding ring? Anyone with eyes could see that they weren't married. Chakotay heard the giggle and turned around to glare at her. Now wasn't the time for inappropriate behavior like that. The firm look, something he rarely used on her, was enough to silence her. Axuna slid on her backpack and wrapped an arm around Galea's waist. Her mother smoothed down her hair, which tumbled past her shoulders. "So what did you girls do today?"

"We did some homework and played kadis-kot and looked at Mezoti's bug collection," Axuna replied as she looked up at her mother and smiled. "It's a lot of fun here, Mom." Chakotay laughed. He wouldn't exactly describe this house as being fun, but it was clear that Axuna enjoyed herself immensely.

"Sounds like you had a great time. What do you say to Mr. Chakotay?" Galea prompted.

"Thank you," Axuna said in a sweet, sing-song voice.

"Thank you so much for having her." Galea extended her hand to Chakotay who shook it one more time. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise." On her way out the door, she turned to face Mezoti, who was still perched on the staircase.

"Bye, Mezoti," Axuna called over her shoulder. Chakotay stood in the doorway with his arm braced against the doorframe as he watched Galea and Mezoti get into their shuttle, which sat next to his in the driveway.

"Bye!" Mezoti scrambled down the stairs and ducked under his arm so she could watch her friend and her mother leave. Already, she was starting to plan out their next playdate and all the fun things they would do.

Once Galea's shuttle was out of sight, Chakotay herded Mezoti inside and closed the door behind them. He had to finish making dinner, as Seven would be home shortly. Wanting to help make dinner, Mezoti trailed after him. She might not have been able to help with beginning stages of cooking, she would be able to help him put the finishing touches on the meal.

"Can I help?" she chirped as they entered the kitchen. At this point, dinner was mostly done, so he really didn't need her help. He didn't have the heart to tell her though, she was always so eager to assist him.

"You can set the table so we can eat as soon as your mom gets home." He retrieved the requisite dishes from the cabinet and handed them over. He could see the disappointment on her face. She set the table every day, but she much preferred helping with the cooking than setting the table. Chakotay stirred the food on the stove and carefully examined it. Thankfully it hadn't burned while he was talking to Galea.

"Did you notice that Axuna's mom thought that you and Mama were married?" Mezoti asked rather innocently as she grabbed the dishes and went about her usual task of setting the table. There was an undeniable hint of amusement in her voice. Chakotay really did hope she would have let the issue slide, as this wasn't a topic he was ready to discuss with her.

"I did." With a flick of his wrist, he turned off the stove and removed the pan from the heat. "It was a reasonable mistake to make. Most couples who live together are married."

"You know, Axuna refers to you my stepfather." There was a clatter as Chakotay dropped his spoon. The admission surprised him. Mezoti had only been living here for two months, and he didn't expect her to bring up their relationship in that context so soon. He snatched up the spoon and pretended that it had been a simple mistake. Thankfully, Mezoti was too wrapped up in her conversation and setting the table to really notice.

"And what do you call me?" he inquired, trying to sound calm, while deep down inside he was a nervous wreck. He hadn't even thought about what Mezoti thought of him, and it made him nervous. While he made it sound like it was an innocent enough question, he genuinely needed to know the answer. This wasn't something he was prepared to discuss, but he needed to know her thoughts on the issue.

"I don't know, you're just Chakotay," she replied with a shrug. Temporarily abandoning the finishing touches on the meal, he approached Mezoti. Oblivious, she continued to set the table.

"Do you want me to be your stepfather?" he pressed. The question surprised her. She stopped what she was doing and carefully thought about it. As much as Axuna referred to him as her stepfather, she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it. She wasn't sure.

Seven entered the kitchen, instantly putting an end to the conversation before Chakotay could get an answer. For the time being, that question would remain a mystery. Based on the expression on Chakotay's face, Seven got the sense that she had interrupted something important.

"Hi Mama," Mezoti chirped as she put down the last of the plates and rushed over to greet her mother with a warm hug.

"Hello Mezoti, how was your afternoon with Axuna?" She smoothed down Mezoti's hair tenderly, pushing it back from her face in the process.

"It was quite fun. We did our homework, and we played kadis-kot. I beat her twice. Her mom even invited me over to their house for a playdate." Seven locked eyes with Chakotay. He could see the displeasure in her eyes. He gave her a small shrug and returned to preparing dinner. Later on, in private, they would discuss the matter further.

"It sounds like you had a very enjoyable experience," Seven commented as she went to help Chakotay finish cooking dinner. She was pleased to hear that the playdate had been a success, she had worried all afternoon.

 **Author's Note:** Leave a review and let me know what you think


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Although it was just once a week in the evening, there were times Seven regretted joining the Pathfinder Project. After a long day of teaching, she usually wanted nothing more than to go home, eat dinner and spend some time with Chakotay and Mezoti. Once a week, however, she had to forgo that comfortable routine and instead eat a hasty meal in the Academy's mess hall before heading over to Headquarters for a few more hours of work. The hours she worked here weren't nearly as long or exhausting as the hours on _Voyager_ , but she had grown accustomed to the routine and found the weekly intrusion a bit annoying at times. There was very little they could do here on Earth, it was mostly theoretical work with no way to carry out said theories. In a way, she found it an incredibly inefficient use of both time and resources.

At exactly 1800 hours on the dot, Seven entered the top secret suite on one of the top floors of Starfleet Headquarters that housed Pathfinder. Large windows lined the tall walls, making the expansive room littered with computer consoles and panels look even larger than it really was. The windows also gave a wonderful view of the sprawling metropolis that was San Francisco stretched out in all directions. Bright lights twinkled against the darkness, almost looking like stars but with an artificial quality. Everyone was always too busy to adequately appreciate the beautiful view.

In their typical fashion, Tom and B'Elanna stood over a console along the far wall, bickering about something. Sometimes Seven wondered if they communicated more that way than talking. It didn't make sense to her. She and Chakotay had only had a handful of disagreements, and only one of them, a few weeks ago, had been particularly bad. No matter how annoyed they might be with each other, they always found a way to talk things out with each other, quickly resolving anything that might be bothering them. It seemed that Tom and B'Elanna fought every time she was here, which was only once a week. She imagined that it was just as bad, if not worse, in private.

"Tom, that's probably the worst idea you've ever had, which is saying a lot, because most of your ideas are utter shit," B'Elanna snapped in an annoyed tone as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring angrily at her imbecile of a husband.

"It's not a bad idea, you just think it is because you're in a bad mood," Tom argued hotly, not believing that she would call him out like this in front of everything. Accustomed to their constant fighting, everyone else ignored the couple and went about their duty as if nothing was wrong. At first, the bickering had made for many uncomfortable moments, but now it was seen as an expected part of day to day activities for the team. As soon as Tom saw Seven, his light blue eyes lit up. "Seven! Maybe you can settle this." A scowl flickered across Seven's face. She was only here for a little while, and she wanted to make the most of her time, which included not getting in the middle of the couple's constant arguing.

"If it is one of your ideas, I'll probably need to make several adjustments to your calculations," Seven commented dryly as she breezed across the room and approached the couple. It was her own unique way of using humor to defuse the tense situation between the couple. B'Elanna snorted with amusement. At least someone appeared to be on her side.

"No, my calculations are perfect," Tom argued in an attempt to salvage his bruised ego.

"I believe you said the same thing last week, but I found several flaws in your calculations that even Mezoti would have been able to fix." He rolled his eyes and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the the other while B'Elanna smirked with pride. He hadn't drawn Seven into this conversation so she could poke fun at his work. He might not be perfect, but he was still pretty good at his work.

"Well, not all of us can raise drone prodigies," he stammered as he handed over his PADD so Seven could look over his calculations. It only took her a few moments to find several flaws in his work. They weren't as obvious as last week's, but Tom was an intelligent enough man to have caught them. He needed to stop rushing through his work and take the time and pride to complete it properly.

"Your work is flawed," Seven stated as she returned the PADD. "Perhaps you should leave the calculations to B'Elanna." Tom opened and closed his mouth several times as he attempted to think of something to say while his wife let out a little "humph" in victory. He really had thought his calculations were correct this time around.

Just like everyone else on Pathfinder, Tom felt an overwhelming desire to perfect transwarp technology as quickly as possible, but his motives were more selfish. If he was successful, he secretly hoped that his father might finally be proud of him. Apparently being the first man to cross the warp threshold and all the work he did aboard _Voyager_ for the past seven years wasn't enough to impress the Admiral, leaving him to find some other way to gain his father's attention and admiration. If he was a part of the team that perfected transwarp technology, he may be able to get promoted to Lieutenant Commander, which Admiral Janeway kept insisting he was ready for. If only his father, who should be his biggest supporter, agreed, instead of standing in the way of his long overdue promotion.

After helping Tom and B'Elanna end their little lover's quarrel, Seven immediately got to work so she could make the most of what little time she had here. She stood in front of a console on a far wall, carefully calculating out trajectories and attempting to theorize the best possible way to apply Borg technology on a large scale to a starship. While on _Voyager_ , small amounts of Borg technology had been applied to the starship, primarily in the warp core and Astrometrics lab, but the majority of the technology had been stripped away from the starship shortly after she arrived. Federation starships and Borg technology weren't exactly compatible on a large scale, but she had to find a way to make it work. What Starfleet wanted was highly controversial and could even be construed as dangerous by some of the more conservative members of the organization. This was a large scale application of Borg technology to a starship. If civilians found out, they could see it as consorting with the Borg, even if that wasn't the case. What Starfleet had to do was get all of the modifications to work, then come clean only after they've proven that it came be done safely. It was Seven's job to find a way to do that while simultaneously helping to get the transwarp drive to work. Essentially, she was here to do whatever she could to support Pathfinder and help make it successful.

As she worked, Seven realized just how much she missed staring at panels and computer consoles all day. Yes, instructing at the Academy was a very worthwhile endeavor, but she enjoyed doing this far more. It gave her a sense of purpose and reminded her of her years aboard _Voyager_ , working in Astrometrics and serving under Kathryn. Although she didn't necessarily agree with him, she understood Chakotay's overwhelming desire to return to space where you got to see the fruits of your labor on a more consistent basis. At the Academy, all she did was instruct her students and hope that when they actually got out into space, they'd remember a sliver of the information she taught them.

Completely absorbed by her work, Seven didn't immediately realize she wasn't alone. Despite the fact that she had grown accustomed to working alone in Astrometrics, she'd perfected the ability to drown out unnecessary noise long ago, which helped her to zero in on her work and work as efficiently as possible.

For that reason, it nearly scared her to death when Reg asked, "Do you need any help?" Startled, she whipped her head around and glared at him. The least he could have done was announce himself before scaring her like that.

"I am perfectly capable of working on my own," she snapped in a frustrated voice.

"That's not what I meant to imply," Reg stammered. Normally he avoided Seven when she came in in the evening, not because he was fearful of her former Borg status, but rather because she had such an intimidating personality that put him on edge. "I just asked if you needed any help."

"No, I'm fine. Perhaps you could help Lieutenant Paris. His calculations were flawed earlier, and he may need someone to check his work." Hearing his name, Tom's head shot up from a few meters away.

"Huh?" Seven rolled her eyes.

"I'm simply saying that you may require Lieutenant Barclay's assistance to ensure your calculations are correct."

"It was a minor mathematical error," Tom argued with an exasperated sigh.

"A mathematical error that could have proven disastrous if carried out," Seven reasoned, her voice returning to its typical calm manner. B'Elanna looked particularly smug at the reminder of her husband's mistake. She told Tom over and over again that his hastiness with math would prove problematic if he didn't learn to check his work, but he always refused to listen to her, thinking that he knew everything. At least now she wasn't the only one telling him that now. He rolled his eyes. It wasn't _that_ bad of a mistake, and he knew Seven would always check his work, so it wasn't a big deal. Besides, he was here to be a pilot, not a mathematician; doing math was B'Elanna's job.

With her computer in hand, Mezoti sat cross legged in the middle of her bed and waited anxiously for the person on the other end of the call to pick up. It had been a while since they'd talked, and she hoped that she wasn't calling at a bad time; it was hard enough to figure out time differences on Earth, let alone between different planets. Finally, the ringing stopped, and Naomi's face appeared on the screen.

"Hi," Naomi chirped with her usual smile. "I was waiting for you to call back."

"Sorry I missed you, I was with Chakotay," Mezoti explained. Naomi had attempted to call her the day before yesterday, but she had missed her friend's call. Unfortunately, this was the first time she'd been able to call her friend back.

"Boxing?" Mezoti smiled sheepishly. Chakotay had instructed her not to tell her mother about their clandestine boxing lessons but he never said he couldn't tell Naomi. Besides, they told each other everything, it would be cruel not to tell her. It did put Naomi in a slightly awkward position, as she was also very close with Seven, but she readily agreed to keep this a secret from her. If anything, she could argue that she was following Chakotay's orders. "How are those going?"

"It's difficult to say because I am just hitting his hands or a punching bag, but he seems confident in my progress. It's very tiring." Usually Mezoti's lessons were only about half an hour or forty-five minutes at the very most. Her arms weren't nearly as strong as Chakotay's, and she got tired fairly easy. She had no idea how he could spend hours doing it without taking a single break.

"It doesn't look tiring, all you're doing is hitting a bag over and over again." At first, Mezoti thought that it was that easy as well, but it turned out not to be true. Chakotay was always telling her to move her feet certain ways, and he made her practice dodging and weaving invisible assailants. She felt foolish doing so, but she wanted to learn to box and therefore wasn't going to complain. She also enjoyed spending time with Chakotay. Their clandestine lessons was a way for them to bond.

"It is, but it's enjoyable too."

"You're lucky, my dad's a boring scientist," Naomi complained as she scrunched up her face in annoyance. She loved her father, and they spent plenty of time together to make up for all the time they lost aboard _Voyager_ , but Captain Chakotay seemed so much more exciting to her.

"Chakotay isn't my dad," Mezoti blurted out quickly. She had no idea why Naomi and Axuna couldn't understand that Chakotay wasn't her dad. It wasn't complicated, or at least it shouldn't be as complicated as they were making it out to be. Chakotay was her mom's boyfriend, and they spent time together, but that didn't make him her father. It really was very straightforward, if only they'd listen.

"Well...do you want him to be your dad?" Naomi asked. Mezoti stopped to think. She and Chakotay had discussed this, but no conclusion was ever reached. She was actually grateful for that, because she had no idea what she wanted. She enjoyed his company, but to think of him as her father was a big step; it would essentially make him part of her family. Technically, they could be considered a family, but the fact that she didn't think of him as her father kept some sort of distance between them.

"I don't know. I've never had a dad before. I don't think it's necessary," she finally replied, making sure to choose her words carefully.

"You didn't think you needed a mom until you met Seven," Naomi pointed out matter-of-factly. "And how do you feel about that now?" Mezoti worshiped her mother and thought the world of her; she couldn't imagine going through life without her now. Even though she didn't say anything, Mezoti's expression spoke volumes. Naomi knew she was right but decided not to comment on it, she could already see that her friend was feeling conflicted.

Deciding to change the subject, Naomi asked, "How was it with Axuna the other day?" They hadn't been able to talk since Mezoti and Axuna's playdate, but she knew her friend had been feeling both excited and anxious about it. She couldn't imagine that anything had gone wrong, she always had a wonderful time when playing with Mezoti, so it shouldn't be any different with her new friend.

"It was very pleasant," Mezoti replied. Naomi raised her eyebrow. She could hear a "but" coming along, giving her the impression that the playdate hadn't been everything she had hoped it to be. Mezoti trailed off.

"And…" She sighed. Even through a computer screen, Naomi was incredibly perceptive, which Mezoti sometimes absolutely hated. It was nearly impossible for her to keep secrets from her.

"Axuna thinks Mama and Chakotay are something special. She even called them famous, but they're not. They're just my Mama and Chakotay, they're normal people, no different than her parents. Because they were on _Voyager_ , though, Axuna thinks they're something special." Mezoti realized that to an outsider, her words might be seen as cruel. Of course she thought her Mama and Chakotay were special, but they weren't famous and didn't warrant any special treatment. If only she could find a way to get Axuna to realize that.

"They treat my mom the same way. She spoke to my _entire_ school, it was so embarrassing! When my friends found out, they were so excited, even though a few of their parents work for Starfleet and have been on missions. One of my friends, her uncle's Lieutenant LaForge aboard the _Enterprise_." That was definitely an impressive familial relation, the _Enterprise_ was the flagship of Starfleet, the Federation's pride and joy, even Mezoti knew that. Any personnel who served on it was considered the best of the best, and it was definitely worth bragging about if you had a family member serving on it. "They came over and wanted to spend the entire time asking my mom questions. They ask me questions all the time too. It's annoying. Just because I grew up on _Voyager_ doesn't mean that's all I want to talk about."

"I wish you were here," Mezoti bemoaned. "At least then there would be someone who understands with me." Mezoti felt a kindred spirit in Naomi. They were both labeled based on circumstances out of their control. At least if they lived near each other, they would be able to commiserate much easier.

"I do too. It's so boring here. My friends just don't get me. They're nice and everything, but it's not the same. Plus I miss everyone from _Voyager_." Naomi's eyes lit up, and she bounced up and down excitedly. "Did your mom get my letter?" Mezoti always found it strange that her best friend and her mama were so close and that Naomi had known Seven longer than she had, but she understood where the bond came from; to her, it was all she'd ever known and was perfectly normal.

"She did, and she told me to tell you that she's going to reply as soon as she has time. She's working late tonight." Naomi's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I thought she taught at the Academy. Does she have a late class or something?" Mezoti shook her head.

"No, I'm not sure what she's doing, but she works late once a week. Usually when she gets home, she and Chakotay lock themselves in their room, and I can hear them talking about it." Naomi was intrigued. She hadn't been privy to many of the going ons aboard _Voyager_ , but when she talked to Mezoti, she felt like she had secret access to all sorts of exciting information about what was going on at Starfleet.

"What do they talk about?" she eagerly pressed as she leaned forward in her seat. Mezoti glanced towards her door. Last she checked, Chakotay was in his office, but he could easily appear at any moment; she didn't want him to overhear her talking about him.

"I don't know." Naomi's face fell. She really had hoped to find out out some new, exciting information about Starfleet. She knew Mezoti had undoubtedly eavesdropped on her mother and Chakotay at least once, so she had to know what they were talking about. Mezoti sighed. "Okay, I've heard them talk about Lieutenants Torres and Paris, but that's it."

"So do you think it could have something to do with them?" She shrugged.

"They work at Headquarters with Chakotay, my mama works at the Academy," she pointed out. "If anyone was going to work with them, it would be Chakotay." Naomi stopped to think. That did make sense, but why else would they be talking about Lieutenants Torres and Paris unless they were somehow involved in whatever it was Seven was doing late at night? It didn't make any sense to her.

"See if you can find out more," Naomi pressed. Curiosity got the best of her, and she needed to know what her friend was up to. On the outside, Mezoti looked less than amused, but curiosity was also starting to get the best of her as well. She wondered what her mother did when she stayed at work late every week. Whatever it was, she figured it had to be pretty important.

A knock on the bedroom door caused Mezoti's heart to skip a beat. She'd hoped Chakotay hadn't heard a lot of what they were talking about. She glanced at Naomi, who looked equally guilty on the other side of the screen as she shrank back in her seat. Both girls hoped Chakotay hadn't heard their clandestine conversation.

"Come in," Mezoti called as she shifted slightly to face the door. Chakotay appeared. So far, everything looked fine; he looked completely oblivious to what they had been talking about.

"What are you up to?" he asked innocently.

"I'm talking to Naomi." To prove her point, Mezoti turned the computer screen, revealing Naomi, who was waiting patiently for Chakotay and Mezoti to finish their conversation.

"Hi Commander...I mean Captain." Being on a distant colony, it was difficult for Naomi to grow accustomed to the many new titles bestowed upon many of the Senior Staff from _Voyager_. It didn't seem to bother Chakotay though, as he smiled and leaned over so he could look at the screen properly.

"Hello Naomi," he greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you and Seven?"

"We're good too. Are you staying out of trouble?" She held her head high and thrust out her chin proudly.

"Always," she assured. Chakotay found that hard to believe. He knew Naomi didn't actively seek out trouble, but, like Mezoti, mischief seemed to always find the child. Of course, it was difficult to stay out of trouble aboard a starship when there were almost no children her own age, leaving her to entertain herself. It had always been relatively harmless, so he and Kathryn never really worried about it.

"Well that's definitely a relief. Listen girls, I hate to cut this conversation short, but it's time for dinner." Mezoti felt confused. Chakotay hadn't come to her to get help with dinner. She felt hurt thinking that he had prepared dinner without her.

"That's okay, I have to get ready for school." It took Mezoti a moment to realize that because of the time difference between them, Naomi had gotten up early in the morning just to have a conversation with her. If that wasn't true friendship, she didn't know what was. Chakotay turned the computer screen back to Mezoti and stood up properly. Figuring the girls would want to say goodbye in private, he headed downstairs.

When Mezoti appeared in the kitchen, there was no sign of what Chakotay planned for dinner. Usually when he summoned her, he already had most of the ingredients and cooking supplies ready to go so they could get started with cooking right away. Today, however, there was nothing in sight.

"What are we going to do for dinner?" she asked as she scrambled onto one of the high barstools along the island in the center of the kitchen and propped her chin up on both her fists.

"Well, I was thinking we could just replicate something simple and eat outside on the patio." Mezoti glanced outside at the circular table on the stone patio and the collection of chair surrounding it. She'd seen Chakotay out there working several times, but, as a family, they'd never eaten out there. She'd never even sat at the table, when she went outside it was usually to play on the playground or catch her bugs.

"What would we replicate?" she asked. Chakotay leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you want?" As she thought about her answer, Mezoti chewed on her bottom lip. She typically just prepared whatever he planned.

"Ice cream," she finally replied brightly as she sat up and kicked her legs back and forth. He chuckled. He'd let her have ice cream for dinner once, and now she kept trying to have it again.

"You can have ice cream after. What do you want for dinner?" Mezoti scrunched up her nose in protest. She honestly thought that he would let her have ice cream for dinner, especially given the fact that her mother wasn't here to scold her about the lack of nutrition in such a meal.

"Can I have...a cheeseburger?" Naomi had introduced her to cheeseburgers a while ago, but she'd never asked Chakotay for one out of respect for his dietary choice not to eat meat. She seemed skeptical, already thinking of a backup plan if he said no.

"Of course you can." He might be a vegetarian, but that didn't mean he was going to force Mezoti to stick to his dietary choices as well; she was mature enough to make her own choices. He crossed the room to the replicator and prepared himself a large bowl of mushroom soup and her a cheeseburger with a side of french fries. "Can you open the door for me and then get the drinks?" Not needing to be told twice, Mezoti hopped down from her seat and opened the back door. She then clambered onto the counter, kneeling on the cool marble as she grabbed two glasses and filled them with water. She was excited to eat outside, it got boring eat in the kitchen every day.

The mushroom soup wasn't as good as when he made it from scratch, but Chakotay wasn't complaining. Maybe next week he and Mezoti would make it for dinner. For a replicated meal, however, it wasn't that bad. He glanced at Mezoti, who appeared to be enjoying her meal without a complaint.

"So how's Naomi doing?" he asked. It was poor timing, as she had just popped a french fry in her mouth. He waited patiently as she finished chewing.

"She's doing very well. She says it's boring where she is." Chakotay chuckled.

"I bet anywhere is boring after the Delta Quadrant." He took a sip of water. "Zoti, are you bored here?" The nickname surprised her. It just slipped out of his mouth, but neither of them commented on it. She found that she liked it, it was like a special term of endearment reserved for her, just like little nicknames he always called her mother. She shrugged indifferently.

"It isn't as exciting as being on _Voyager_ , but I am enjoying myself here. I like spending time with you and with Mama." With her mother working these late hours, especially on days like today, Mezoti felt that she spent more time with Chakotay than her. Perhaps she could suggest to her mother that the two of them spent some time together this weekend. She had no idea what they would do, but she was confident in her ability to think of something.

"And things are going well at school?" Thought of Naya's teasing and hurtful comments about Borg immediately came to mind, but they were chased away when she thought about Axuna and all the fun they had together. It wasn't even worth bringing up Naya.

"Today at recess, Axuna and I played on the swings."

"Did some of the other children join you?" She shrugged once again, which worried him. She always talked about Axuna, but not once did she ever mention other friends or acquaintances. While there was nothing wrong with just having one or two friends, it was quality over quantity, he did worry that she only had one friend. Suddenly, Mezoti became fascinated with her food, tapping a french fry against the rim of her plate. Nobody else talked to her at school. She knew she was lucky that Axuna wanted to be her friend, especially with all the terrible rumors Naya spread around the school; everyone else tended to avoid her out of fear that she would assimilate them.

As soon as he brought up other children at school, Chakotay noticed the shift in Mezoti's body language. She went from her usual bubbly and excited self to withdrawn and appeared to almost fold inside herself. It worried him. He was forever grateful that she found Axuna, and that they hit it off so well. On the other hand, he was concerned that she was Mezoti's only friend here on Earth. Yes, she did have Naomi, but the Wildmans lived several lightyears away, so it wasn't as if she could come over for a playdate on a regular basis. At least they'd managed to find a way to make this long distance friendship work out. Chakotay was more concerned with finding Mezoti more friends on Earth. She was a social child, she needed more friends.

After dinner and the promised ice cream for dessert, Mezoti dashed across the yard to play on the playground on the far side of the yard while Chakotay stretched out sideways on the hammock with his feet planted firmly on the ground to rock himself as he stared up at the sky. Streaks of red and orange painted the sky in warm, soothing colors. The colors weren't as vibrant as the desert where the views were absolutely breathtaking, but they would do for the time being. Thoughts of the desert made him think about taking Seven and Mezoti on vacation. Perhaps a long weekend in the desert somewhere. They could go hiking and camping. Both girls were hopelessly addicted to their electronic devices, but he thought that a few days unplugged from the rest of the world couldn't do them any harm.

Twilight descended upon the pair as they continued to enjoy the gorgeous, mild weather outside. As she sat on the swing, Mezoti pumped her legs back and forth. The wind breezed through her hair as she felt like she was flying. She soared higher and higher, getting a small adrenaline rush and she flew backwards before kicking her legs out, propelling her forward once again. When she reached the peak of her swinging, there was a brief moment of weightlessness that was both exhilarating and terrifying before she went flying backwards once again. They weren't allowed to swing this high at school; the recess attendants yelled at them, saying it was unsafe. Here at home, however, she was free to swing as high as she wanted without a care in the world.

As she swung, Mezoti noticed that Chakotay had stopped rocking back and forth in the hammock. Thinking something was wrong, she dragged her heels along the dirt beneath the swing, causing her to skid to a stop loudly, sending mulch flying up all around her. It took her body a few moments to reorient itself with walking properly, causing her to stumble for a few steps before she finally regained her balance and darted across the yard to where the hammock was set up. She stood next to Chakotay's knee. The gentle rise and fall of his chest told her that nothing was wrong, but it was difficult to tell if he was even awake. After a she stood there uncomfortably for a few moments, he twitched and drew in a deep breath, coming back to reality.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he sat up slightly. He sounded tired but not like he had been asleep.

"You weren't moving, I thought something was wrong," Mezoti replied.

"No, I'm fine, just looking up at the stars." She glanced up at the stars. After she got back to Earth, she hadn't really taken the time to look at the stars; she'd seen more than enough stars during her time in space. There were so many other things to look at here on Earth.

"They're just stars," she reasoned with a shrug. "Exactly the same as the stars in the Delta Quadrant." Chakotay's eyes nearly doubled in size at the notion.

"These are hardly the same stars. Right there, that's Tadzki." Mezoti looked to where Chakotay was pointing, but all she saw were dots scattered across the sky. Her eyebrows knit in frustration, but she had no idea what he was talking about it.

"I don't see it," she confessed.

"Come lay with me, I'll show you." Wanting to see what he was talking about, she laid on the hammock next to him and stared up at the sky. Even from this position, she couldn't make sense of the twinkling dots scattered across the now jet black sky.

"I still don't see it," she complained in a slightly agitated tone.

"Right there." Chakotay's tone was calm and patient as he pointed toward a small collection of stars. "See the four stars that form almost a perfect rectangle with the star centered directly above them?" Mezoti shook her head. "You're looking too hard. Relax your gaze, Zoti, and you'll see her." She had no idea how she was supposed to look harder but also relax her gaze. When she stopped looking so hard however, the stars seemed to shift and move, prompting her to continue what she was doing. As soon as she did, the stars seemed to fall into place, and she saw what Chakotay was talking about.

"I see it!" she exclaimed brightly as a smile stretched across her face. "What is she doing?"

"She's protecting her son from the Hotan people." He pointed to the three stars that formed a lopsided triangle just to the right of Tadzki. Mezoti opened her mouth to ask why, but he continued, launching into the story. "Tadzki had just given birth to her daughter. The Hotan attacked the village. Using the love only a mother can to give her strength, she fought off many of the Hotan, but they continued to attack. Tadzki's people came to her rescue, and their strongest warrior, Milap, challenged the strongest Hotan warrior, Wicasa, to battle." As he spoke, Chakotay pointed out collections of stars rimmed by a nebula that gave them the appearance that they were charging at each other. "Milap was killed, instantly breaking his own mother's heart. Her tears flowed freely, giving our land the streams that crisscross the desert."

"Are there other stories about the stars?" Mezoti asked. She'd always thought they were just giant balls of gas thousands of lightyears away. Yes, they were technically just balls of gas, but Chakotay made them sound far more fascinating and exciting. When they first returned to the Alpha Quadrant, her mother made her study star charts of the quadrant, so she was familiar with the astronomy of the region, but this was better.

"There are many stories, such as Bena and the coyote." That was all the prompting Chakotay needed to launch into the exciting tale of Bena and how she, when she was just a few years older that Mezoti, protected her entire village from an attacking coyote, instantly becoming a hero to her people, who were, in actuality, Chakotay's people.

Mezoti found the stories Chakotay told far more fascinating than anything she learned in school. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she'd never taken the time to actually learn about his people and their stories and customs. All it took was two stories, and she was absolutely hooked and wanted to learn more. The way he spoke, it was hard not to be fascinated. His calm, soothing voice wove fantastic stories, one after the other without any sign of getting tired. He knew so many stories, each one better than the last. She had no idea. Whenever she looked at the sky, she previously just saw dots twinkling up above. Now, she knew they were so much more than that.

Once Chakotay finished his fourth story, Mezoti asked, "Did you ever miss the stars when you were in the Delta Quadrant?" She could hear in his voice how much the stories meant to him, as if he found a source of comfort in the centuries old stories. Stopping to think for a few moments, he finally shrugged.

"I did," he replied. "But there were plenty of stars to explore in the Delta Quadrant. I used to go into the Astrometrics lab and look at all the stars, trying to see if any of the constellations were similar to any here." In the last few months of their time in the Delta Quadrant, it had also been the perfect excuse to visit with Seven.

"Were there?"

"Sometimes there were similar constellations, but many were different."

"Did you ever make up your own constellations and stories?" He shook his head.

"I'm not very creative. I much prefer to share the stories of my people."

"Maybe one day I'll write a story about the stars."

"I think you'd be great at that." A smile spread across Mezoti's face. With the sun gone, it was starting to get cold. She cuddled closer to Chakotay for warmth, who curled his strong arm around her. His large body radiated heat, instantly chasing away the cool night air and warming her up.

Both Mezoti and Chakotay spent several minutes lost in their own thoughts. He could feel the goosebumps popping up along her bare arm, making him wonder if they should head inside. He had no idea what time it was, but he had a feeling it was getting late, and he needed to get her to bed before her mother got home.

He was about to say they needed to go inside so she could go to bed when she asked, "Do you miss being in space?" He stopped to think. She was full of all sorts of deep questions today.

"I guess," he finally replied with a shrug. "It was definitely exciting, and I miss my friends, but I see a lot of them at Starfleet. Plus, there's something far more important to me now." Mezoti's eyes grew wide at the admission.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "What?"

"Your mother and you of course. It's far more important for me to be here, with you guys. I have a good job and people I care about here."

"Did you ever think about having children?" The question caught Chakotay by surprise. While Mezoti appeared young and playful, she was also incredibly precocious and inquisitive, especially for a nine year old. In a way, the incredibly personal questions showed him that she was finally comfortable enough to ask him such questions.

"Well...umm...I guess I'd thought about it, but being in the Maquis and then the Delta Quadrant doesn't exactly lend itself well to fatherhood." He thought back to those few terrifying months when he thought Seska carried his child. It had been a whirlwind of chaos, and he hadn't been able to process it properly until it was too late. The prospect of fatherhood wasn't what terrified him but instead knowing that Seska had a way to manipulate him, to pull on his heartstrings to get her what she wanted. Even though the child ultimately ended up not being his, he still wondered about him and what had happened to him and only wanted what was best for his ex's son. The Kazon didn't exactly treat their offspring with the utmost respect.

"What about now?"

"Well, I have you," he reasoned with a shrug. "And I care very deeply about you."

"I care about you too, Chakotay." All thoughts of her little disagreement with Naomi flew out of her mind. She couldn't deny that she cared about Chakotay, but that still didn't meant that he was her father; to her, he was still just Chakotay. Mezoti felt her eyes getting heavy. She covered her mouth and yawned loudly. Chakotay figured they should probably head inside, but it was just so nice outside; he just wanted to enjoy the weather for a little while longer.

The house was dark and silent when Seven got home, which almost never happened. Despite her protests to the contrary, Chakotay always waited up for her, just to make sure she got home in one piece, no matter how exhausted he was. Today, however, he and Mezoti were nowhere to be seen. Seven put down her bag and went upstairs, but the second floor was just as abandoned as the main level. Mezoti wasn't in her room, and Chakotay wasn't in his office or the master bedroom. Her heart pounded anxiously in her chest as she thought something terrible had happened to them. It wasn't like either of them to simply disappear.

Seven went into the abandoned kitchen to investigate further when she saw a strange lump on the hammock outside. Instantly, all of her fears melted away when she realized that it was Chakotay and Mezoti, although she couldn't for the life of her figure out what they were doing outside at this hour. She headed outside to investigate further.

"Chakotay?" she called. Neither of them moved, prompting her to repeat herself louder. "Chakotay?" She had no idea why she even bothered calling his name, he was one of the heaviest sleepers she ever met. His alarm was loud enough to wake the entire house, and even then he slept through it half the time, so she had to physically shake him in the hopes of rousing him from his sleep. She had no idea how this didn't cause problems aboard _Voyager_ when he was summoned from his quarters in the middle of the night. The cool night air swirled around her, sending goosebumps crawling across her skin. Her bodysuit did a fairly good job of regulating her body temperature, but it was still pretty chilly with the sun down. "Chakotay, wake up." She shook his knee firmly, which was finally enough to wake him. He started, and his head whipped around as he tried to figure out where he was. His heart pounded anxiously in his chest as he tried to figure out where he was and what was going on. When he saw Seven standing over him with an amused expression, he calmed down.

"What happened?" he groaned sleepily as he ran his hand over his face.

"It would appear that you fell asleep in your hammock." It wasn't the first time that this had happened, but he usually woke himself up on his own, and it never happened this late at night. Never before had he woken up in his hammock in the middle of the night with Seven standing right there, and it disoriented him. He looked over at Mezoti, who was curled up in a tight ball against him, presumably to ward off the chilly night air. As carefully as possible, he got to his feet. It was a difficult task given the fact that he didn't want to rock the hammock too much and send Mezoti tumbling to the ground. Sensing he needed some help, Seven extended her hand, which he gladly accepted, and she pulled him upright.

"Thank you, beautiful." He stole a quick kiss, which she happily returned.

"How about you head inside while I wake Mezoti." Chakotay was going to suggest that he could simply carry Mezoti up to bed, but given how she was laying on the hammock, he realized that that would be impossible; she would need to actually get up on her own this time. Going inside seemed like the best idea.

Inside, Chakotay flung himself down on the couch. He draped his arm along the back and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. Already, he felt like he was going to fall back asleep. Moments later, Mezoti trudged inside with Seven hot on her heels. The child rubbed her eyes sleepily and barely appeared able to put one foot in front of the other.

"Say goodnight," Seven firmly prompted, nudging her daughter in Chakotay's general direction, which was enough to deviate from her original path upstairs.

"Goodnight," Mezoti yawned as she leaned over the arm of the couch and wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck. He did his best to twist his body and return the hug.

"Night, Zoti." He kissed the top of her head affectionately. She broke off the hug and dragged herself up to bed, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her fist in the process.

Once Mezoti was gone, Seven sat on the couch perpendicular to the one Chakotay occupied. Between teaching and working on Pathfinder, it had been an incredibly long day, and she needed to regenerate tonight. First, however, she wanted to spend at least a few minutes with her boyfriend; they barely had the chance to say two words to each other this morning.

"How was work?" Chakotay asked. Now that he was inside and moving around, he was starting to wake up a little bit.

"Hardly worth noting," Seven replied. "I believe my students are growing accustomed to workload that accompanies this course, but I do have some concerns. I am giving an exam next week, and I have some worries about how well they'll do." Chakotay nodded thoughtfully as he tried to think of a solution. He had no doubt that Seven's classes were incredibly difficult for the cadets, but he also knew that they were getting plenty of fantastic information from her in the process.

"What if you offer a study hall period?" he suggested.

"I already have my office hours." He dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"I know that, but that's not what I'm saying. Tell your students you'll be at the library at a certain time and encourage as many of them as possible to come. There, they can study together and ask you questions."

"I fail to see how that is different from office hours." He leaned forward, sitting up properly with his elbows propped up on his knees.

"Going to see your professor during office hours can be intimidating, but in a group setting, students may be more comfortable. Besides, you'll only be there to facilitate, allow the cadets to support each other, it's what they'll have to do when they get a posting anyway, they might as well get used to it." Seven nodded slowly as she thought over the suggestion. It made a lot of sense to her, but it would require her to spend more time at the Academy, which would take away from her time at home with her family. A handful of evenings between now and when she gave her exam might be worth it if it meant her students would be more successful on the exam.

Upstairs, Mezoti emerged from the bathroom. Now that she was up and moving, she was starting to wake up a little bit, only to have to go back to bed. She was about to retreat to the peace and quiet of her bedroom when she heard her mother and Chakotay's low voices downstairs. Remembering her conversation with Naomi, she decided to temporarily abandon her desire to crawl into bed and listen in on the conversation. She didn't look at it as spying but instead quenching her curiosity. As quietly as possible, she crept down the stairs, sitting near the bottom. She was close enough to hear what they were talking about down the hall but also perfectly out of sight. She was fortunate they hadn't decided to talk in their bedroom; it wouldn't have been nearly as easy to listen in on their conversation then.

Seven rubbed her temple, right near her starburst implant next to her ear. Her mind still whirled at warp speed, and she was having trouble making sense of everything on her mind from her time at Pathfinder today. Chakotay could see in her body language that something was bothering her.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked as he stretched his hand out towards hers, brushing his fingertips along hers. "And don't you dare say nothing. I can see that something's wrong." She scowled, she had intended on telling him that everything was alright.

"It's Pathfinder, we were able to modify the transwarp frequency used by the Borg for Federation ships, and tomorrow they'll be running simulations on the holodeck to see if it will be successful." Chakotay's eyes lit up.

"That's fantastic!" he exclaimed as he leaned forward. "You should feel proud, babe, this is a huge accomplishment. With any luck, the Federation will be back in the Delta Quadrant within a year." She still didn't look convinced.

"Admiral Paris wants it even sooner. I still have many hesitations about expanding the Federation into the Delta Quadrant. I feel it is an ill-conceived plan."

"The Federation has already expanded into the Delta Quadrant, Seven, whether you want to or not." As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right, but that didn't stop the fact that it didn't sit well with her.

"I know, but that doesn't alleviate any of my apprehensions. The Delta Quadrant is dangerous, Chakotay. You and I know that, but the Federation isn't fully aware of the dangers. They view this as an expansion opportunity, and I don't think they are thinking things through."

"The Federation is fully aware of the dangers in the Delta Quadrant, which is why people like you, Harry, Tom and B'Elanna are a part of Pathfinder. I hate to break it to you, babe, but it's not just because you four are the best for the job, but it's because you all know what's waiting in the Delta Quadrant and will be able to help navigate it."

"I spent over twenty years there, I have no intention of ever going back."

"That may not be up to you. The Federation is on the brink of getting back to the Delta Quadrant, and you're one of the ones helping it do so." Seven pursed her lips in frustration. Despite the fact that she was helping Starfleet with the technology to get back to the Delta Quadrant, she still had countless reservations that she hoped would be alleviated by now. She wished Starfleet would realize just how dangerous this was for everyone involved. Opening up to the Delta Quadrant also meant bringing all the dangers that lived there back to the Alpha Quadrant.

Mezoti sat at the bottom of the stairs, absolutely stunned. She couldn't believe it. Of all the things she thought her mama was working on, she never expected it to be Pathfinder. She thought the endeavor had been abandoned as soon as _Voyager_ returned to the Alpha Quadrant, at least that's what Starfleet told everyone because it wasn't necessary anymore. Not only was that a lie, but those involved with Pathfinder were actively searching for a way back to the Delta Quadrant. The idea excited Mezoti. Perhaps they would be able to see Neelix again, and perhaps even Azan and Rebi. Mezoti's heart fluttered with excitement, but not for herself; she knew how much Naomi missed her beloved godfather, and, with the help of Pathfinder, she may be able to see him again. She couldn't wait to tell her.

Seven stood up abruptly and leaned over to kiss Chakotay's forehead, her lips brushing against the bronzed, tattooed flesh. She could see on his face that he was exhausted, and she was starting to experience some discomfort that could only be alleviated by regenerating. They could talk more about this tomorrow.

"I have to regenerate tonight," she announced. "Do you think you will be fine alone in bed tonight?" He trailed his fingers along her side to the gentle swell of her hip beneath the smooth fabric of her bodysuit.

"It is a big bed when I'm all alone, but I think I'll manage." He tilted his head back to look at her properly. "You sure you're okay about Pathfinder?"

"How I feel is irrelevant, if Starfleet believes that it's best, then I will comply." She didn't sound convinced, but he was too tired to argue further. Even though they were making fantastic progress with Pathfinder, it could be ages until they actually made it to the Delta Quadrant.

Sensing that she was about to be caught, Mezoti scrambled to her feet and darted up the stairs two at a time, making sure to be light on her feet as well so her parents didn't hear her moving around. When she got to the safety of her bedroom, she immediately dove under the covers and pulled the blankets up around her to give the appearance she was asleep. The last thing she wanted Chakotay and Seven to find out was that she was eavesdropping on them.

A mere moments after Mezoti crawled into bed, the lights in the hall turned on. In her haste, she forgot to close the bedroom door all the way, causing light to stream in through the crack. Although she was laying with her back to the door, Mezoti could see Chakotay's shadow against the wall as he passed by her room on his way to bed himself. A few seconds later, the shadow returned, and the bedroom door creaked open as he entered her room. Her heart beat nervously in her chest as she closed her eyes and did her best to even out her breathing to give the appearance of already being asleep. The bed shifted as Chakotay braced his arm against the mattress and leaned over to kiss the top of her head softly. After another moment or two, he stood up and left, closing the door behind her. Once she was alone, Mezoti couldn't help but wonder: how long had Chakotay been doing that?

 **Author's Note:** Let me know what you think with a review!


	16. Chapter 16

****Author's Note:**** Before you get started, I wanted to take this opportunity to address an anonymous reviewer who actually told me that nobody, even the writers of Voyager, like C/7, so I should stop writing. I was shocked. I've been doing this for a long time (on an old account that I can't log into anymore because I lost the email and password), and I've never actually been told to stop writing because of a pairing (and I've done some pretty odd pairings in the past). That's what's so beautiful about fan fic, you have the freedom to explore the "what if" side of your favorite fandoms. If you don't like something, simply don't read it. Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now.

 **Chapter Sixteen**

The sound of talking and laughing children bounced off the high ceiling of the cafeteria as students enjoyed their lunch and a much needed break from class. Every child seemed to be enjoying the break, every child but one that is, although nobody else really noticed that she was sitting by herself. With her book open and completely oblivious to the noise around her, Mezoti sat at her usual table. Every once in awhile, she remembered that she was there to eat and shoveled a bite of food into her mouth, but she mostly sat there with her eyes glued to the page, soaking in every exciting word of _The Giver_ , another book recommended by Axuna. Although the book appeared to be simple enough, she loved the complex nature of the society. There were so many subtle nuances, she often had to go back and reread passages to pick up on things she missed.

Mezoti had been so wrapped up in her book that she didn't realize Axuna was running late until halfway through lunch. Since her classroom was closer to the cafeteria, Axuna usually beat her to the cafeteria and had to wait for her, not the other way around. Mezoti knew she was in school, they'd spent time together before school, although it was only for a few minutes since she had been running late this morning. As far as she knew, everything had been fine between them. When she glanced up from her book, Mezoti saw a familiar flash of red hair on the other side of cafeteria. Her heart sank when she saw her talking gregariously with a group of girls, including Naya and Priya, the very girls who usually terrorized them. Betrayal bubbled up inside of Mezoti as she tried to understand what was going on here. She and Axuna always tried to avoid the two of them like the plague. Although Axuna didn't appear to be talking to either girl directly, it was clear that she was spending time in the same social circle as them, even after everything they put Mezoti through, and she couldn't figure out why.

The bell rang, indicating lunch was over. Mezoti didn't move, she didn't feel like going out to recess or doing much of anything for that matter. As all the other students snatched up their trays and put them away before bolting out the doors to enjoy the warm weather outside, Mezoti tried to focus on her book, although now the words swam in front of her, making it impossible to read. As much as she loved the book, even ten minutes ago, now she found she couldn't concentrate on it, but trying to read it beat going outside and risk running into Axuna, even if she wanted to get some answers.

"Sweetheart, time for you to go outside," one of the cafeteria attendants gently prompted. Mezoti looked up from her book and opened her mouth to beg for permission to stay inside but ultimately decided against it. She would go outside and find Axuna. Hopefully there would be some sort of logical explanation. Perhaps it was the birthday of one of the girls and Axuna forgot to tell her. Yes, that's what it had to be; it was the only thing that could cause her to abandon her at lunch.

It was a bright, sunny afternoon as Mezoti went outside. Usually she enjoyed such beautiful days, but today, she didn't feel cheerful or excited to be outside. All she wanted to do was find Axuna and see what was going on between them. Her peers zig zagged across the playground, making use of every available piece of equipment and field as they blew off steam after sitting in the classroom all morning. Mezoti ignored them as her eyes eagerly scanned the playground in search of Axuna, who was usually easy to spot given her bright red hair.

It took Mezoti nearly ten minutes of searching to find Axuna. Finally, she found her friend on the far edge of the playground as if she was hiding from her. For a moment, they locked eyes, and she could see disappointment in her friend's eyes. Right away, that told her that she hadn't stood her up at lunch because of some sort of prior engagement, it had been intentional. A split second after they made eye contact, Axuna looked away, her eyes full of shame.

"Axuna," Mezoti called in desperation. She blatantly ignored her, turning her back and trying to make it look like she was talking to someone, but she wasn't convincing her. "Axuna!" she repeated louder. This time, Axuna turned around as Mezoti jogged up to her. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, wondering what in the world had caused her to freeze her out like this without any warning.

"Uhhh...no." Axuna shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and refused to look Mezoti in the eye. "I, umm, I have to go."

"Axuna, wait." Mezoti's hand shot out, and she grabbed her friend's arm, preventing her from walking away. Axuna turned around, and Mezoti saw tears brimming her blue eyes, which automatically told her that there was something definitely wrong here..

"We can't be friends anymore," she croaked as she broke free from her grip and dashed across the field to where the rest of her friends waited.

"Axuna? Axuna!" Tears welled up in Mezoti's eyes as she watched her only friend on this planet abandon her without so much as an explanation. She tried to think if she'd done something wrong, something to provoke such a response, but even when they hung out this morning, everything seemed fine. They hadn't spoken since then, so she couldn't have done anything wrong to cause the sudden termination of their friendship.

With tears flowing freely down her cheeks, Mezoti ran across the playground, trying to get as far away from Axuan as possible. In her haste, she ran straight into another student. The action sent her flying backwards and resulted in her sprawled on her back, staring up at a strange student. Stunned, it took her a few seconds to regain herself.

"Sorry," she muttered as she scrambled to her feet. Without bothering to make sure the other student was undamaged, she ran towards the building. She didn't care that recess was far from over, she just wanted to get out of here. This morning, everything had been fine between her and Axuna, and now she was telling her that they couldn't be friends anymore. What had gone wrong? Had she done something inadvertently disrespectful? They always seemed to enjoy each other's company, and there was no sign of any hostility or problems arising, and yet, here she was, trying her best to hold back tears at the termination of her only friendship on this planet.

Not feeling much like being around other children, Mezoti wrenched open one of the doors leading inside. She couldn't stand being around other children who were all having fun when Axuna wouldn't even look at her. It amazed her that everyone could continue on with their days while it felt like her world was crashing in around her.

"Hey! You can't go inside!" one of the recess attendants called when she saw what Mezoti was doing. The child ignored her and fled to the safety of the indoors, firmly closing the door behind her. She wanted to go home. Maybe if she called Chakotay from the nurse's office and feigned illness, he would leave work and retrieve her. At the very least, she might be able to lay down for a few hours and escape the humiliation and turmoil of her abandonment at lunch.

The nurse's office was in the front of the school as part of the suite that made up the main office. While she'd never been there herself, she'd seen it on her first day of school. It could be accessed through a doorway in the main office or a doorway just off the main hallway. Rather than enter through the office, Mezoti burst into the room through the door in the hallway. It was a small, sterile room. An elderly woman sat behind a desk just to the left of the doorway with her eyes glued to a computer screen. Three biobeds lined the far wall. One appeared to be occupied by a young Bolian child, but the others were thankfully empty; Mezoti didn't want to be around other people.

She stood frozen in the doorway, unsure what to say or do until the nurse finally asked, "May I help you?" She spun around and quickly swiped away her tears in an attempt to hide her tumultuous emotions.

"I don't feel well," she explained, her voice meek and desperate to sound convincing. The nurse saw the tears in her eyes and wasn't buying it for a minute. It was common for students to feign illness when they had something else bothering them, but she usually sent them right off to the counselor's where they could get the help they needed.

"Are you sure something else isn't bothering you? Perhaps you'd be better off going to the counselor." Mezoti shook her head. She didn't want to talk about her feelings with some strange counselor, she wanted to go home and forget that this ever happened.

"I don't feel well, I want to go home," she repeated with more force. The nurse got to her feet and picked up her medical tricorder. With the small extension grasped between her fingers and the device in her other hand, she scanned Mezoti over while the child kept her eyes downcast on the ground.

"Everything appears to be fine." When she got a closer look at the child, it was obvious that she had been crying. "Maybe you should go talk to the counselor, you look upset."

"I don't want to talk to anyone, I want to go home. I feel sick." To make her point, she stomped her foot and glared defiantly at the nurse. She was stubborn and would go home, whether the nurse wanted her to or not.

"What if you lay down for a little while?" she suggested. She shook her head.

"My stomach hurts, and my head hurts. I want to call my….I want to call someone to come get me, and I want to go home." The nurse sighed. She knew better than to argue with a child if he or she claimed illness; sometimes children simply felt sick even though the tricorder didn't pick up on anything being wrong. If this little girl wanted to go home, then she wasn't going to try and stop her. Besides, it wasn't like she was one of the frequent students in here claiming to be sick.

As he walked down the corridor, Chakotay rubbed the back of his neck and let out a sigh. That three hour meeting had been absolute torture. All of it had been pointless, and the information could have easily been conveyed through a series of memos sent out; Starfleet certainly sent out enough of those anyway, what was a few more? It was a highly inefficient use of time. The thought caused Chakotay to stop dead in his tracks outside his office door. The thought had come so naturally to him, but it was something Seven would think. Apparently she was rubbing off on him. It didn't bother him, it just caught him off guard. He wondered if he was having a similar effect on her.

When he entered his office, the first thing Chakotay heard was the sound of a call coming in on his computer. He immediately rushed behind his desk and pressed a button to answer the call before whoever it was gave up and ended the transmission. He hoped it was Seven suggesting that they go out for lunch, he certainly needed the break.

"This is Captain Chakotay," he automatically before the image completely appeared on his screen. He leaned over his desk with his weight braced against one arm. Confusion flashed across his face when a strange woman appeared on the screen. She wasn't wearing a Starfleet uniform, telling him it was an outside call, which was rare but not completely unheard of.

"Hello Captain, this is Marta Crosby I'm the nurse at Federation School 3859. I have your daughter, Mezoti, here, and she says she doesn't feel well and want to go home." Sighing, Chakotay took a seat behind his desk and rubbed his temple. He wanted a break, but this wasn't what he had in mind.

"Okay, can I talk to her?" He really hoped Mezoti didn't want to go home, because he wasn't sure he'd be able to leave work early to pick her up, and he knew Seven definitely wouldn't be able to leave to retrieve her. He would have to find a way to make it work; family had to come first.

"Of course." The nurse turned the computer screen on her end, revealing Mezoti. As soon as he saw her, Chakotay could tell something was bothering her. The color had drained from her face, and her eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious to him that she had been crying, but that didn't mean she was sick.

"Zoti, what's wrong?" he gently pressed.

"I don't feel well," she replied in a meek voice. "I want to go home."

"I don't know if I can leave work to come and get you. Could you try laying down for a little while? Maybe that's all you need." She shook her head.

"I don't want to lay down, I want to go home." Her voice had shifted from pleading to whiny as she crossed her arms over her chest. For a moment Chakotay expected her to stomp her foot and pout to get her point across. To go through this whole song and dance told him that she had to be feeling under the weather or something.

"Okay, let me see what I can do," he relented begrudgingly. If she was really as sick as she claimed, he figured he could continue to work from home. He'd seen plenty of other officers who were parents leave early to take care of family issues, and it appeared that it was his turn to do so.

An hour later, Chakotay landed his shuttle outside Mezoti's school. Admiral Cohn had been more than understanding when he asked if he could leave early to pick her up. He even asked to be kept up to date about how Mezoti was feeling. Chakotay hoped it wasn't serious. It felt strange being here when there wasn't anyone outside. He was so accustomed to coming here at dismissal when there were children everywhere. Right now, the school yard was completely abandoned as he walked up the steps and entered the building. He'd actually never been inside the school before, so when he entered, he looked around in confusion until he saw the large, glassed in office and figured he might as well start there.

The office was alive with excitement. Two teachers held cups of coffee and gossiped off to the side while a student hung his head in shame and sat outside of what Chakotay assumed was the principal's office, waiting to be reprimanded for something he did wrong. Several other teachers breezed in and out, eager to get where they had to go. In a way, it reminded him of the bridge of a starship. Chakotay caught sight of the elderly Bajoran secretary and approached her.

"Excuse me, I'm here to pick up Mezoti, she called me from the nurse's office and said she wasn't feeling well." The secretary took a few moments to look up from her computer screen.

"The nurse's office is over there," she said in a bored tone as she carelessly waved her hand in the direction of the nurse's office.

"Thanks." Chakotay hoped that everyone in this school wasn't as cold and uninterested as the secretary. He'd picked his house because he heard wonderful things about the school, but, as of yet, he was completely unimpressed with how he'd been treated.

When Chakotay entered the nurse's office via the main office, he immediately saw Mezoti curled up on one of the biobeds along the far wall with her back to the door. The nurse sat behind her desk. Like the secretary, her eyes were glued to her computer screen. He stood in the doorway and cleared his throat. The nurse's eyes shot up and nearly doubled in size when she saw Chakotay standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she stammered. "You're here to pick up Mezoti. I got her to lay down for a little while." As she spoke, she motioned towards Mezoti's sleeping form on the nearby biobed. "I do have to tell you, Captain, that nothing physically appeared to be wrong with her, but she seemed very upset about something. I suggested that she speak to the counselor, but she refused to listen."

"It's fine, I'll try talking to her when we get home." He crossed the room and gently shook Mezoti's shoulder.

"Mezoti, come on, let's go home." Groaning, she rolled over, and her eyes fluttered open. A few stray tears remained in the corners of her eyes. Chakotay opened his mouth to comment on it but ultimately decided against it. This was something they would talk about in private when they got home.

"I don't feel well," she muttered sleepily. He pressed the back of his hand against her cheek and forehead. As far as he could tell, she felt fine.

"You don't feel feverish," he commented. She sat up, and he grabbed her backpack from where it was tucked under the biobed. "Let's get you home." She climbed off the bed. He put a hand on her shoulder to guide her across the room. "Do I need to sign her out or anything?"

"Yes, Sir." Marta spun around her computer screen. Chakotay took a few moments to type in his and Mezoti's names, along with the other important information.

"Thank you."

"Feel better, Mezoti." Mezoti nodded as she walked with Chakotay out of the nurse's office, leaving this awful school behind. In the back of her mind, she knew she'd have to return tomorrow, but she'd deal with that later.

On the shuttle, Mezoti buckled up and leaned against the side panel. Her eyes slipped closed as the shuttle lurched to life beneath her, and they headed home. Already, she was starting to feel better simply because she didn't need to stick around there anymore and risk running into Axuna, Naya or Priya.

"So are you going to tell me why you really wanted to come home?" Chakotay asked as he steered the shuttle in the direction of home. He knew she wasn't sick, he could see it in her eyes. There was a faint hint of disbelief that her little plan to get out of school actually worked.

"I don't feel well," Mezoti replied without bothering to open her eyes. If she did, she would have seen Chakotay's completely unamused expression. He wasn't buying it for a second. He knew Mezoti well enough to know she didn't get sick.

"If it's serious, maybe I can get the Doctor to stop by and run a diagnostic on your implants. It could be serious." Her eyes flew open.

"I simply require rest, I am unwell but undamaged," she argued forcefully.

"Okay, I guess you can talk to your mother about it when she gets home," he reasoned with a sigh. Her eyes doubled in size. There was a reason she had called Chakotay, not her mother. Not only was he more likely to get off work to pick her up, but her mother would make a big deal out of this; she could be extremely over protective.

"Mama's coming home?" she blurted out.

"When I spoke to her on my way here, she said she was going to try and cancel her office hours for the evening and come home a little bit early. She's very worried about you."

"There's no need for concern, I simply don't feel well."

"Still, she's worried." Mezoti started to grow anxious. All she wanted was to leave school for the day, but now it was starting to get out of hand. She never expected her mother to take off work and come home early. If her mother discovered she was feigning illness, then she would get in a lot of trouble.

As soon as the shuttle landed and the power shut off, Mezoti was on her feet and out the door. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and forget that today ever happened. With any luck, she would wake up and discover that it was all some sort of terrible, vivid dream. She made a beeline for the front door and headed straight upstairs, throwing her backpack down in the middle of the floor in the process.

"Mezoti," Chakotay called as he trailed after her. She ignored him, running faster to escape his watchful eye. "Mezoti." His voice was firmer as he entered the house, telling her that she better listen to him or risk getting in trouble. She stopped halfway up the stairs, turning around to face him.

"I don't feel well, I just want to lay down," she pleaded desperately, wanting nothing more than to be left alone.

"Okay, I'll come up to check on you in a little while." Mezoti spun around and pounded up the stairs. Moments later, he heard the distinct sound of her door slamming closed, leaving Chakotay alone to try and figure out what had caused this sudden, uncharacteristic behavior out of the child.

As soon as she was safely in her room, Mezoti flung herself down on her unmade bed. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and sobs wracked her slender body. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw was Axuna on the playground. She could see the undeniable pain in her friend's...no, former friend's eyes as she turned her back on her and ended their new, exciting friendship in the blink of an eye. Why did this happen? Had she done something wrong? Perhaps Axuna sensed that she felt annoyed whenever she brought up _Voyager_. Maybe it had been an unintentional, off-hand comment she'd made about how boring she found the Alpha Quadrant. She hadn't meant for that to be disrespectful or a slight towards her friend. They always talked so openly about everything, but she should have been more careful, because now she was left without a friend.

The sobbing continued until exhaustion started to set in. Mezoti felt her eyes growing heavy as tears continued to stain her pillow. She really was starting to feel sick to her stomach with all the anxiety building up inside of her; it was probably for the best that she came home, as she wouldn't have been able to focus on her schoolwork all afternoon. She hated everything about this and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and disappear into oblivion. She felt utterly alone and didn't know what to do next. One thing was for sure: she couldn't tell her mom and Chakotay. They would try to step in and fix it, which would only make things worse. She had to find a way to handle this on her own, somehow.

After letting Mezoti rest for an hour, Chakotay couldn't help but go up and check on her. Although he had his doubts that she was actually sick, he still worried about her. All of this was completely uncharacteristic for her to act this way. No matter what, she was always incredibly upbeat and happy, especially lately. With a glass of water in hand, he quietly opened Mezoti's bedroom door. She was curled up on top of the unmade bed with the blankets crumpled up around her.

"Mezoti?" he asked softly as he closed the door behind him. She twitched but otherwise remained motionless. "Mezoti, I know you're awake." She rolled over to face him. She'd just woken up a few minutes ago but didn't feel like moving. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget about all of this. Her eyes were still puffy and red. "What's wrong?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed and held out the glass of water. She shook her head, prompting him to put it on the nightstand.

"I don't feel well." Unamused, he raised his eyebrow. There was no way he was buying that at all. He might still be learning a lot about raising little girls, but he knew enough to recognize when they were crying; he had a sister after all.

"Are you going to tell me why you're crying?"

"I wasn't, I'm sick."

"Mezoti…"

"I am! I don't want to get you sick, you should probably leave." She rolled over and stared at the wall, longing for Chakotay to leave her alone. All she wanted right now was some space, which was impossible with him hovering over her like this. She figured if she ignored him long enough, he'd actually get the message and leave her alone.

"If you need anything, let me know." Letting out a sigh, he got to his feet. He took the blanket and spread it over her tenderly. He smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed the top of her head. Mezoti simply laid there with her eyes squeezed shut, waiting for him to leave her alone. Finally, the bedroom door opened and closed, and she was alone once again.

As much as Mezoti may argue that she just didn't feel well, Chakotay knew that that wasn't true. There was something else bothering her. Normally she was so open with him, willing to tell him every tiny detail of her life without even the slightest hint of hesitation; sometimes he felt he knew more about her than he knew about Seven or Kathryn. Today, however, she couldn't even look him in the eye. It was as if the past several weeks worth of work to strengthen their relationship had been thrown out the window, and they were back to square one.

Unable to focus on anything work related, Chakotay laid out across one of the couches in the living room with a book. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't focus on the words he read. He had been stuck on the same page for the past ten minutes, and even then he couldn't remember what it was about. All he could think about was Mezoti and what was bothering her. The front door opened and closed, indicating Seven was home. He glanced at the clock on the wall. She was an hour early, telling him she had canceled her office hours for the day.

"Chakotay?" she called.

"I'm in here." Her heels clicked hastily against the floor, and she appeared above him, hovering impatiently over the back of the couch with concern in her crystal blue eyes. Like Chakotay, she knew that it was rare for Mezoti to get sick, and she feared that something was wrong with her implants. On her way home, she'd been tempted to contact the Doctor but ultimately decided to wait until she got home so she could ascertain the extent of the sickness herself.

"How is she?" she inquired. Groaning, he sat up and raked his fingers through his hair.

"She's not sick," he replied. "But something's definitely wrong with her. The school nurse tried to get her to talk to the counselor, but she refused."

"If she's not ill, why didn't you make her stay at school? You spoil her too much." Seven sounded annoyed at allowing Mezoti skip school after feigning illness. Chakotay stood up and faced her properly.

"Because one look at her and I knew something was wrong. She won't talk to me, and she's been upstairs in her room crying all evening. She might not be physically sick, but, emotionally, something is definitely wrong with her."

"She will always have emotional outbursts, she needs to learn to adapt when she's at school."

"She's not a Borg, Seven, she's a child. Something is wrong with her, go see for yourself." He didn't understand how she could be so callous, this was her daughter she was talking about. It wasn't like she was constantly coming home early because she was sick. She could afford to miss a few hours of school. Seven might be able to work through any ailments that plagued her, but Mezoti was a child, and she had a right to be coddled every once in awhile.

"I will," Seven snapped before turning on her heels and stalking out of the room and up the stairs. She couldn't believe Chakotay would allow Mezoti to leave school early if he knew something wasn't wrong with her. It was highly irresponsible. As a parent, he needed to be a more authoritative figure, she couldn't be the one always enforcing the rules; it made her look like the bad guy all the time.

Without bothering to knock, Seven entered Mezoti's bedroom. It was a mess in here, but that was a problem they would tackle another day. Right now, she was here to ascertain her daughter's physical and emotional condition so she could determine what to do next.

"Mezoti," she stated firmly. At the sound of her mother's voice, Mezoti rolled over. There was no way to deny something was wrong with her, but it was difficult to tell what in particular it was. Her shoulders slumped at the sight of her mother, and the color was drained from her face usually lively face. Telltale streaks along her cheeks told Seven that she had been crying. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Mezoti replied meekly as she pushed herself to a seated position. "I still feel sick."

"Describe the symptoms." She shrugged, her mind spinning as she tried to think of plausible symptoms that would lead her mother to believe that she was actually sick.

"I don't know, I just feel sick."

"That is not an accurate description. Chakotay said that he believes you are physically fine, and I am inclined to agree with him. You are not sick and will return to school tomorrow." If Mezoti wasn't going to tell her what was wrong with her, then she was going to send her back to school until she finally fessed up and told them what was bothering her.

"I'm not going to school," Mezoti announced defiantly as she scrambled out of bed and glared angrily at her mother. Seven clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She wasn't going to tolerate this type of behavior, regardless of how Mezoti may be feeling.

"You will comply. School is non-negotiable. You are not ill, and you will return to school tomorrow so there are no more interruptions to your education." Her voice rose with frustration. Everything had been going so well, there was no reason for her to all of a sudden decide that she hated school and feign illness. If she wanted to continue this behavior, then she would have to at least explain herself adequately.

"I'm not going back to school, and you can't make me. And you shouldn't come in here and start bossing me around, I'm sick!"

"I am your mother, you will comply with my orders," Seven shouted. It caught Mezoti off guard. Very rarely did her mother raise her voice at her. Wide eyed, she took a step back and tried to collect herself. There had to be a way to win her over and get her to let her stay home from school.

After Seven went upstairs, Chakotay attempted to go back to reading his book. No sooner did he lay down, however, did the distinct sound of shouting voices draw his attention. With a sigh, he got to his feet; normally he left such issues to Seven, but this sounded like it needed his intervention. So much for a nice, quiet evening at home. He tossed his book onto the couch and rushed upstairs, taking two at a time. As he did, the shouting got louder, and he could clearly hear every word.

"I hate school, and I'm never going back. Now get out of my room!"

"You are the child, you are to comply with my directions. You are not the one giving orders here." Seven sounded understandably annoyed with Mezoti. Chakotay opened the bedroom door right as Mezoti attempted to push Seven towards the door. The action surprised Seven, who never expected the child to put her hands on her in such away. Caught off guard, she stumbled backwards, right into Chakotay, who barely had time to react and catch her before she fell to the ground.

"Mezoti!" he exclaimed loudly. Mezoti froze. She'd never heard him raise his voice that way, not even towards other members of the crew. Her eyes doubled in size; she knew she was in deep trouble now. "Never put your hands on your mother that way. Now, apologize."

"No," she argued defiantly. She had been wrong to push her mom like that, but she wouldn't have had to do that if she'd just left her alone in the first place. "She won't get out of my room."

"This is our house, so this is our room. Now apologize."

"No!" Mezoti shouted. "Now get out of my room. I don't feel well and just want to go to sleep." Realizing that yelling won't do them any good, Chakotay simply shrugged.

"Fine, if you're going to be like that, and if you're really sick, you can go to bed without dinner tonight." He was taking a page out of his father's book, who had sent him to bed without dinner dozens of times throughout his childhood. If Mezoti was going to be this difficult, then he would call her bluff and treat her accordingly. Just for good measure, he snatched up her PADDs and computer from her desk. "Now, go to bed." Mezoti was brimming with anger; the action of taking her PADDs and computer told her that they didn't trust her, which only made her feel worse. It appeared that everything was going wrong today.

"Fine, then get out." Still seething with anger she flung herself down on her bed and waited for both of them to leave. She refused to let them see just how upset she was about this. She wanted nothing to do with either of them anymore. Finally, the door closed, and she was alone again.

With Mezoti's electronics in hand, Chakotay stormed down to the master bedroom and tossed them all on the bed like a collection of confiscated paraphernalia. Seven followed after him, closing the door firmly behind her so they could talk in private. Neither one knew what to make of what had just happened. Never before had Mezoti acted like this. Yes, she had had her moments when she was difficult, but this was something entirely different. She'd put her hands on Seven and shouted at Chakotay; both actions were highly uncharacteristic of her, even at her most difficult moments.

"I don't know how to proceed," Seven admitted as she retreated to the bathroom to splash some water on her face in an attempt to regain her composure. "What do we do?"

"Well, she's already grounded for the evening," Chakotay pointed out as he followed her and leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Do you think that's sufficient?" Seven leaned over and splashed several handfuls of water on her face before snatching up the nearest towel and drying herself off. It did nothing to make her feel better like she hoped it would.

"I think that's up to you. For now, I think that's fine. Maybe tomorrow she'll be more open about what's bothering her." She rested her hand against his chest, and he leaned down to press their foreheads together.

"It'll be okay. She's a child, she's bound to throw temper tantrums." His free hand trailed along her spine lightly in an attempt to calm her down. Her body was tense against his, and he only wanted her to relax a little bit.

"I hope you're correct." Deep down inside, Seven had her doubts. Most children might throw temper tantrums, but Mezoti wasn't most children. This wasn't normal behavior for her, and there had to be some reason behind it, especially out of the blue like this.

The next morning, things weren't any better for the small family. Mezoti stomped her feet and kicked one of her shoes across the floor defiantly with her arms crossed over her chest. Her mood from last night carried over to this morning, and she seemed even more determined than ever to stay home again, even if she wasn't technically sick.

"I'm not going to school!" she announced at the top of her lungs. "And there's nothing you can do to make me."

"Mezoti, you will comply." This had been going on for fifteen minutes now, and Seven's typically endless patience was all but gone at this point.

"No!"

"Mezoti, we're not starting up this nonsense again." Even Chakotay was starting to get annoyed. He thought they'd moved past this weeks ago, and she was actually starting to adjust and enjoy school. "Don't you want to see Axuna?"

"I want nothing to do with anyone at school. Don't make me go back."

"It's the law that you go to school, and we're already running late. Now get in the shuttle right now. I refuse to be late because you won't comply."

"I'm not going!" Chakotay had had enough. They'd been attempting to reason with Mezoti as peacefully as possible but to no avail. This was getting out of hand. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and they were both starting to get desperate at this point.

"Mezoti, either you get in that shuttle right now, or I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out there myself." His baritone voice bounced off the tall ceilings of the living room. Mezoti locked eyes with him, trying to ascertain if he was serious or not. His hard, determined gaze told her that he wasn't bluffing and shouldn't be challenged. This was a man who had helped bring a crew of a hundred and fifty back safely from the Delta Quadrant, he wasn't someone to bluff; if he said something, he was going to follow through. She either had two options, get in the shuttle on her own, or be carried out there kicking and screaming like a small child. At least if she went out there on her own, she could maintain a small sliver of her dignity.

"I hate it here," she screeched as she turned on her heels and ran out the front door, making sure to grab her backpack in the process. Every time she couldn't think things could get worse, they did.

In search of some sort of guidance as to how to proceed, Seven turned to Chakotay who looked equally lost and confused as she felt. He ran his hand over his face and tried to think of something to say to make her feel better. Unfortunately, this was one of the rare times that he didn't have any sort of worthwhile advice. Instead, he snaked his arm around her waist and drew her close.

"Don't let her get to you," he murmured before pressing a loving kiss to her temple. "Just let her sulk, don't engage her in conversation."

"That shouldn't be difficult, as I don't know what to say to her." She kissed his cheek softly. "Try to have a pleasant day at work."

"You too." He reluctantly let go of her. He was running late and had to get going as well. Normally he was halfway to Headquarters by now, but Mezoti's little meltdown had caused everyone to be running late today. He hoped this wouldn't become a new morning routine.

The thought of going out to recess made Mezoti feel sick to her stomach. She considered going to the nurse's office, but her mother said that neither she nor Chakotay would miss another day at work to pick her up, so she might as well suffer through it on her own. She ignored the students running around and playing, searching instead for somewhere secluded and alone to sulk. On the opposite side of the playground, she found a tree nobody was near; it was the perfect place to find some peace and quiet.

Mezoti threw herself down under the tree and closed her eyes. Normally she'd be fascinated by the insects and bugs hiding in the dirt, but not today. All she wanted to do today was go home and never come back here. She closed her eyes and did her best to block out the noise of all her happy classmates around her. It was nearly impossible, as everyone out here was laughing and carrying on as if they didn't have a single care in the world. She wished they would all be quiet.

"Well, if it isn't a drone without a Collective." Mezoti's eyes flew open to see Naya and Priya standing above her. She looked around, hoping there would be someone to help her, but she was completely alone to fend for herself. Mezoti scrambled to her feet.

"Leave me alone," she muttered as she attempted to brush past the two girls. Priya stood to the side, but Naya moved to block her path. She was here on a mission to terrorize Mezoti while she had the chance.

"You know, yesterday afternoon was the best we've had in class in weeks because you weren't here," she sneered. "Nobody wants you here. You're a monster, a _freak_." Mezoti turned to walk away, but Naya followed after her. "I can't believe the Federation actually let you come here. They should know better. We'll all probably be a part of the Collective by the end of the term." Naya turned to Priya. "Did you know she and her mother are pretending to be human? I heard they're living with a Starfleet Captain. You'd think someone who went to the Academy would be smart enough to realize that the Borg are incapable of love." Naya scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Moron." Mezoti shook with anger. It was one thing to insult her, but it was another thing entirely to insult Chakotay; she didn't even know him. If Naya was trying to get a rise out of her, it was working.

"Shut up!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she spun around, catching the attention of several students playing nearby. Angry tears welled up in her eyes, and she clenched her fists by her side. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Yes I do. You're a Borg, you're an emotionless drone pretending to be something you're not. You may think people care about you, but they don't. Nobody could love a monster like you." Mezoti saw red as anger consumed every fiber of her being. Blind with extreme anger, her fist shot out and came in contact with Naya's nose just like Chakotay taught her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** I wanted to start out by saying thank you for all the wonderful support after my little tangent before the last chapter. You all are wonderful. I also wanted to tell you that we've officially hit the halfway point of this story, but not to worry, this is the first part of a trilogy, so there's a lot more adventures to come! Enjoy and leave a review when you're done.

 **Chapter Seventeen**

Seven barely had time to take a breathe this morning. In addition to the blowup with Mezoti that caused her to be unusually late to the Academy, she had had back to back classes all morning, giving her no opportunity to decompress and try to think of a solution to whatever was causing her daughter to act so out of the ordinary. Yes, Mezoti could be difficult, but the only real problems with her had been her inability to keep her room orderly and other minor disagreements that Seven had learned to deal with over the years. What happened last night and this morning, however, was something different entirely. Never before had she seen the child act so blatantly defiant and disrespectful; she'd raised her to behave better than that. If Seven didn't know any better, she could have sworn Mezoti was hitting her teenage years, something she wasn't prepared to deal with for several more years. She thought she had a little more time before she started to really act up. She wasn't ready to raise a teenager yet.

No sooner had Seven sat down did her computer start to beep, indicating someone was trying to contact her. She hoped it was Chakotay checking in on her and offering some sort of moral support in a way only he could, but when she pressed the appropriate buttons, an unfamiliar face appeared on the screen. It was a middle aged woman wearing a neatly pressed navy blue button down blouse with her brown hair streaked with grey pulled back into a French braid and a serious expression on her round face.

"May I help you?" Seven inquired. She wondered if the stranger had accidentally put in the wrong contact code and ended up on her computer by mistake.

"Yes, is this Seven of Nine?"

"It is."

"My name is Christiana Stevenson, I'm the principal at Federation School 3859. I'm calling about your daughter, Mezoti." Seven immediately sat up and leaned forward. If the principal was calling, she knew it wasn't because she wasn't feeling well, and it definitely couldn't be a good thing.

"Is everything alright?" She hoped that despite how illogical as it might be, there was nothing wrong with Mezoti, because she was starting to get too stressed to deal with all of this.

"I'm afraid not. I would prefer to talk to in person. I need you to come down to the school right away." She was about to point out that she had an entire afternoon of classes and office hours, making it impossible for her to just up and leave, but she knew she had to leave to take care of Mezoti; family always had to be her number one priority. If the principal was calling her in the middle of the day, then it must be an emergency.

"I am currently at the Starfleet Academy. I will be there within half an hour."

"Come straight to the office and tell them who you are. They'll direct you to my office." The transmission ended without so much as a hint as to what was going on. Seven got to her feet right away and gathered together her belongings; she had a strong feeling she wasn't going to be coming back today. On her way out the door, she considered contacting Chakotay but ultimately decided against it. Mezoti was her daughter, and she had to take care of whatever this was on her own. Besides, he'd been the one to leave work early yesterday.

Given the perceived severity of the situation, Seven made it to Mezoti's school in record time. The office buzzed with the usual excitement that came with it being the middle of the day. Several parent were there to pick up their children for a variety of reasons, and when Seven glanced in the nurse's office, she saw a little girl sitting on one of the chairs with small droplets of blood across her light blue shirt while a woman, presumably her mother given their similar blone hair and oval faces.

"I want to know what is going to be done," the mother demanded loud enough for everyone in the office to hear. "My little girl is hurt and in pain." Something, call it a hunch, told Seven that whatever was going on in there had to do with Mezoti, which only made matters worse. Whatever was going on here, it wasn't good.

Seven went up to the old Bajoran secretary and said, "I'm here about my daughter, Mezoti." The usually laid back secretary immediately leapt into action.

"Oh, Mrs. Stevenson is waiting for you. Right this way." She scurried out from behind her desk and guided Seven back to the L-shaped hallway that housed the administrative offices for the school.

The principal's office was halfway down the hallway with a partially closed door. When Seven entered the office, she found Mezoti sitting on a chair across from Mrs. Stevenson. The child hung her head in shame and kicked her feet back and forth mindlessly, refusing to even look at her mother, which told Seven that she most definitely had done something wrong.

"Ms. Seven?" Mrs. Stevenson asked as she got to her feet and extended her hand. "Thank you for coming down right away."

"It seemed urgent." Seven shook her hand firmly, a custom she still hadn't grown accustomed to, so she hoped she did an adequate job at making a proper first impression.

"It is. Please, have a seat." She motioned towards the empty chair next to Mezoti's. Seven complied and turned to catch her daughter's eye, but she refused to even look at her, instead keeping her gaze firmly locked on her hands folded in her lap. "I called you down here because there was an altercation involving Mezoti at recess. Apparently she hit another child." Seven's eyes grew wide as her head whipped around to face her daughter. Of all the things she thought she would do, that was the last thing. She knew Mezoti had been defiant and acting up lately, but to hit another student went against everything she thought she knew about her.

"Mezoti! Why would you do such a reckless action?" she demanded incredulously.

"I dunno," Mezoti muttered under her breath with a shrug.

"You will look at me when I address you," Seven admonished as she clutched Mezoti's chin between her thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at her properly. "Now, why did you strike another student?"

"Because I felt like it," Mezoti snapped loudly. She could see the fury in her mother's eyes, but that didn't stop her from her defiance. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"Mezoti, this is very serious." Mrs. Stevenson's voice was surprisingly calm as she folded her arms on her desk and leaned forward. "I know it's been incredibly difficult for you to adjust to life on Earth, but I thought you were doing well. Ms. Coalburg has spoken very highly about your academic achievements, and I've seen you outside at recess with Axuna." At the mention of her former friend's name, Mezoti's gaze hardened. It was a subtle change in her already standoffish demeanor, but Seven was close enough to see it and know that the principal had inadvertently struck a nerve. "And now, here you are, sitting in my office because you broke a girl's nose."

"You broke her nose?" Seven exclaimed. Each time she got a little bit more information, she was more shocked. She didn't think her daughter was strong enough to do such damage. As far as she knew, she didn't even know the child could even throw a punch. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Chakotay's been teaching me to box." With each passing moment, Seven felt her frustration level rising exponentially. Not only was she furious with Mezoti for hitting another student, but now she was more furious with Chakotay for being so reckless and teaching her to box. He was the adult, he should have been more responsible. Such violent activities were inappropriate for children to learn, and he had no business teaching her something like that.

Sensing Seven's frustration, Mrs. Stevenson jumped in and said, "Obviously this behavior is unacceptable here, and there needs to be repercussions."

"I concur. Mezoti will comply with whatever punishment you deem fit, and I assure you, she'll also be punished at home." Mezoti sank further into her seat. All she wanted to do right now was disappear. When she hit Naya, she didn't think through the consequences of her actions. Now, she was in more trouble than she'd ever been in in her life.

"Mezoti will have a week of after school detention." The punishment didn't seem strict enough for Seven. This was an incredibly serious transgression, and Mezoti needed to be punished with equal severity to ensure it didn't happen again, not that she expected something like this to ever happen again.

"If I may, I would also like Mezoti to write a letter of apology and deliver it to the girl she struck," Seven added. Mezoti shot upright as if jolted by a plasma discharge. After everything Naya had done and said to her, there was no way she'd ever apologize to her. While she knew hitting her was wrong, she also felt completely justified in her actions.

"I'm not apologizing to her," she exclaimed loudly. "She deserved it."

"Explain."

"Nevermind," Mezoti muttered as she sat back once again and crossed her arms over her chest. She'd said too much.

"Mezoti, I'd like to know why you did this too. You don't seem like the type of girl to hit someone else, and I'm just trying to understand where this came from." Mrs. Stevenson's voice was gentler as she pleaded with Mezoti to come clean and explain what had caused this to happen.

"I just felt like hitting someone," Mezoti muttered with a shrug. "I got tired of practicing with Chakotay with stupid punching bags, so I hit Naya." Neither Seven nor Mrs. Stevenson were buying it. They could see in her eyes that there was something more bothering her, but they couldn't figure out why. Normally Mezoti was pretty quiet and easy going. Of all the things they thought she would do, they never thought she'd actually hit someone.

"Mezoti-" Seven tried to keep her voice comforting, but she was tired of Mezoti's erratic behavior over the past twenty-four hours, and it was evident in her tone. She needed some answers, but Mezoti refused.

"I don't want to talk about it." She jumped to her feet. "Now can I go home now?" It was probably the most logical thing she'd said since yesterday. Perhaps if Seven got her out of here, she'd finally get the answers she so desperately needed.

"Go stand outside while we talk," Seven ordered. She wanted to talk to the principal in private in the hopes of getting some more answers, although Mrs. Stevenson looked just as perplexed as she felt. Mezoti snatched up her backpack and stormed outside, closing the door firmly behind her.

Once they were alone, Seven was able to drop her steely facade slightly. She was a mother torn and conflicted as to how to proceed. She expected there to be some problems, but she never expected anything like this. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts. She had no idea how to proceed from here. Sensing she needed some time, Mrs. Stevenson waited patiently for her to speak.

"I want to apologize for Mezoti's difficult and unacceptable behavior," Seven finally started. "I want to assure you that this was not how I raised her. I have worked hard over the past two and a half years to instill a sense of respect in her. This behavior is highly uncharacteristic of her. I will speak to my partner about teaching her to box as well; it is an inappropriate activity for children her age."

"I know it is difficult to raise children, I have three of them myself, but I know it's even more difficult raising a child like Mezoti. She's incredibly special little girl. I'm not judging you on your parenting abilities; this is the first incident we've had with Mezoti." She paused. "I was wondering if everything is alright at home." Seven considered bringing up Mezoti's outburst last night but ultimately decided against it. As a whole, everything was fine at home. Yesterday morning, Mezoti had been perky and her usual upbeat self. Something must have happened during school yesterday to cause this behavior to happen, because it was only when Chakotay picked her up from school did this behavior start up.

"Everything is fine at home," she replied, opting to handle whatever was happening at home within the family. "But I will be pursuing the matter further." Seven stood up. "Thank you, and I apologize once again for my daughter's behavior." Mrs. Stevenson stood up and extended her hand.

"Thank you for being so supportive." Seven shook her hand before turning abruptly and leaving. She had to get Mezoti home and figure out what was wrong with her. Maybe once she got her away from school, she'd be more complacent and explain what was going on here.

Mrs. Stevenson felt surprised as she watched Seven leave. She had no idea what to expect when she first contacted the woman, but this wasn't it. The notion of a woman who spent almost her entire life as a Borg drone put her on edge slightly, and she expected an ill-tempered, curt woman, but instead found someone who seemed just as human as everyone else. Most parents who came in here because of their children's behavior were annoyed and tried to find some way to put the blame on anyone but their supposedly angelic children. Seven couldn't be more different. She held her daughter responsible for her behavior and forced her to take accountability for her actions. If only more parents were like that, then there was no doubt in her mind that her job would be significantly easier.

The entire way home, Seven was fuming. She had no idea who to be angrier at: Mezoti for hitting another student or Chakotay for teaching her to fight. For the time being, she was equally upset with both of them. This was not how she foresaw her day going, and, for the second consecutive day, her work schedule had been interrupted by Mezoti. She knew that as a mother, that was inevitable, but today's reason was incredibly frustrating. Mezoti wasn't a violent child, yet, the past two days, she'd demonstrated irrational and unpredictable behavior not indicative of how she had been raised.

Seven's thoughts about Mezoti's behavior was interrupted by a call coming in through the shuttle's communication system. Keeping one eye on where she was going, she pressed the appropriate button and answered the call. As soon as Mezoti saw who it was, she sank back in her seat and wanted nothing more than to disappear in oblivion.

"Seven, I got your message, is everything alright?" Chakotay asked hastily as soon as he appeared on the small screen in the center of the shuttle's console. On her way to the school, she ultimately decided to contact him, telling him she'd been summoned to the school but assured him that there was no need for him to leave work early as well.

"Mezoti is undamaged. This is something we should discuss at home. I have retrieved her from school, so there is no need for you to pick her up." Chakotay knew Seven well enough to know something serious was bothering her. He could see it in the way her eyes narrowed when she spoke to him and the way she drew her lips into a tight line. Something was clearly bothering her.

"Is she still feeling sick?" Mezoti hated that they were discussing her as if she weren't there. She could hear every word they said, but none of it seemed to matter to them. It was as if they didn't care, which only made her feel worse.

"She is undamaged, but this is something we should discuss face to face."

"Okay. I'll be home in a few hours then."

"I'll see you then." Seven ended the transmission before Chakotay could ask any more questions. It had been difficult for her to keep calm, she wanted to do nothing more than reprimand him for such careless behavior right then and there. Had he not taught Mezoti to box, then perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

Usually when she got home, Seven felt all of the stresses from that day melt away as she looked forward to a nice, quiet evening with her family, but that wasn't the case today. A sharp pain radiated behind her optical implant that made it difficult for her to concentrate. At first, she thought something was wrong with her implant, but she quickly realized that it was caused by stress; it was nothing more than a regular headache. As she entered the house, she pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefingers, longing for the discomfort to subside. Unfortunately, it didn't work. She knew she could easily grab a hypospray from the medkit upstairs, but ultimately decided against it; she knew the headache would eventually go away.

When she got inside, Mezoti started to head down the hall to the kitchen to get a snack, but Seven appeared in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest, immediately blocking her path. It all happened so fast that Mezoti nearly ran right into her mother. Startled, she stumbled backwards and regained her footing.

"Where are you going?" Seven demanded.

"To get a snack?" Mezoti sounded both annoyed and confused by the intrusion. She always had a snack when she got home from school. Yes, she was home earlier than usual, but why should today be any different? She was home, and she wanted to replicate a snack.

"No, go up to your room and wait for Chakotay to come home so we can discuss this together."

"That's not fair!" To make her point, Mezoti stomped her foot and glared angirly at her mother in the hopes that she would eventually give in and let her get something to eat. "I'm hungry and want a snack."

"Comply."

"No! I want a snack. You wouldn't feed me dinner last night, and now you won't let me get a snack. You are intentionally depriving me of food."

"I assure you that I am doing no such thing. Now, report to your room and wait for Chakotay to return home from work." Mezoti attempted to sidestep Seven, but her mother was too quick for her. She grabbed the child forcefully and spun her around, giving her a gentle push towards the stairs in the process. "Go upstairs right now."

"This isn't fair!" Mezoti complained loudly as she stomped up the stairs, making sure to be as loud and obnoxious as possible just to annoy her mother. A few seconds later, her bedroom door slammed with such force that the picture hanging in the hallway shook. Seven clenched her jaw tightly as she stormed down the hall to the living room. None of this was helping with her headache. She had no idea how to proceed from here, but she knew she needed some space to think things over.

Seven lowered herself onto the armchair in the living room and buried her face in her hands as she tried to think of how to proceed from here. This behavior was highly erratic and chaotic, even for Mezoti who always seemed to make life interesting. She thought back to her time on _Voyager_ when she asked Chakotay to take away the children and find someone else to look after them. He told her that children and chaos went hand in hand, which she understood, but this was something else entirely. Mezoti's behavior had always been fairly decent, albeit sometimes frustrating, but the past twenty-four hours, she appeared to be completely out of control with no explanation as to why. There had to be something causing this behavior, but she had no idea what or even how to find out. Usually Mezoti readily told her and Chakotay every miniscule detail of her life, but not this time. This time, she was left guessing and hoping for the best.

When Chakotay got home, he found the house eerily silent, which immediately put him on edge. Since only the three of them lived here, it was quieter than most houses, but there was always some sort of noise. Today, however, there was absolutely nothing, not a single sound to indicate that anyone lived here. He put his bag next to Seven and Mezoti's by the front door and went to find them. He entered the living room and found Seven poring over a PADD, but Mezoti was nowhere to be seen. For a fleeting moment, she looked up from her reading, but she otherwise made no attempt to greet him or even really acknowledge that was he was home. It was extremely uncharacteristic of her, instantly telling him that something was wrong.  
"Umm...hello?" He sounded confused as to why she was just ignoring him. She finally looked up and put her PADD to the side. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Mezoti got into a fight at school today," Seven replied in a surprisingly calm voice as she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"A fight?" he repeated in shock. Mezoti was always such a calm, easy going child; he had a hard time believing she would willingly get into a physical confrontation with anyone at school, no matter what the circumstances were. "Why? With whom?"

"That I do not know, she hasn't been forthcoming with information."

"Where is she right now?"

"I confined her to her bedroom until you returned to work so we could discuss the matter with her together." Seven also needed to talk to Chakotay in private about his decision to teach a young girl how to box, but that was something that could be saved for later. Right now, they were on a mission to figure out what had happened to caused Mezoti to act like this.

Seven summoned Mezoti downstairs, temporarily releasing her from her confinement in her bedroom. The child stormed downstairs and into the living room where both Seven and Chakotay waited, each occupying one of the couches. She looked annoyed at being called downstairs, she much preferred the privacy of her bedroom where she could brood on her own. Chakotay motioned for her to take a seat on the empty armchair that Seven previously occupied.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on?" he gently prompted, slipping into his role as the "good cop" in this situation.

"There's nothing going on," Mezoti replied with a careless shrug, refusing to even look at him.

"Then why did you feel the need to get in a physical altercation with another student?" Seven inquired, immediately stepping into her role as the enforcer. She refused to accept the belief that Mezoti simply felt the need to lash out at another student without any type of provocation; it went against everything she thought the child believed in.

"Because I felt like it," she replied in an annoyed tone.

"So now you're just getting into fights with other students for no reason at all?" Chakotay asked in a non-believing tone. Mezoti flopped back in the chair and finally glared up at both of them.

"Am I being interrogated?" she asked.

"No, we're just trying to understand where this behavior is coming from. Yesterday you barely spoke to me and got in a fight with your mother, and today you lashed out at school. If there's something bothering you, Zoti, you can tell us." His voice was extremely calm, to the point that it annoyed Mezoti. She didn't understand how he couldn't be mad at her, it was as if he had unlimited patience with her, which she didn't understand. If she were in his shoes, she'd be furious with him for acting this way.

"Don't call me that," she exclaimed as she leapt to her feet. Angry tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, despite her attempts to keep them at bay. "And why I hit Naya is irrelevant. I hit her, and that's the end of it, so can't we just let it go?"

"No, this is not something we can let go. You have been acting uncharacteristically, and your behavior has caused me to leave work early the past two days, disrupting not only my day but the academics of my students."

"I apologize that I've gotten in the way of your career," Mezoti sneered hotly. "Maybe I should have stayed behind with Rebi and Azan, at least then I'd have friends and you wouldn't have concern yourself with my burden."

"Mezoti!" Chakotay reprimanded loudly as he jumped to his feet. With her hurtful words still hanging in the air, Mezoti fled to the safety of her bedroom. Despite what they may want, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with either of them.

Chakotay turned to Seven, who looked stunned and hurt by the words. Not once did she ever wish that Mezoti had stayed behind in the Delta Quadrant. In fact, it had been a huge weight off her shoulders to know that she and Icheb elected to stay behind with her, even if it meant parting ways with their adopted brothers. Even on difficult days like today, Seven was grateful to have her. Often, she forgot that Mezoti wasn't her biological daughter, as her love for the child was intense and maternal. She wanted nothing more than to protect the child from the dangers of the galaxy and help her reach her full potential, just like every other parent. Right now, she didn't know what to think. She knew children were prone to saying things they didn't necessarily believe in times of great stress, but that didn't soften the painful sting of Mezoti's words. Her emotions were getting the better of her, and Chakotay could see that.

"Seven," he soothed as he sat down next to her and tried to take her hands in his. As soon as she felt his touch, however, she jerked her hands away and stood up so she towered over him.

"Do not attempt to comfort me," she snapped. Chakotay had no idea where this was coming from. He thought she wanted to be comforted, yet she pushed him away and took hr anger out on him, unfairly so. He was on her side; he thought Mezoti's behavior was way out of line. "Had you not taught her to box, none of this would have happened." Suddenly, her outburst made sense, but he still didn't think she should take her frustration out on him. As far as he was concerned, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"So this is my fault?"

"You were irresponsible and irrational. What business does a child have learning to box?" Chakotay stood up as well. He refused to be talked down to by anyone, no matter what the situation was.

"When we started, I made it clear to Mezoti that she wasn't to use it on anyone else, only downstairs when we were working together. I didn't teach her this so she could out and start fights with other children."

"Well that is exactly what she has done. How could you be so reckless?" As she spoke, Seven began to pace. She felt so angry, at Mezoti and at Chakotay, that she needed to let out all her pent up energy before she completely snapped.

"You wanted me to bond with Mezoti, and that's what I did." She rounded on him. Her eyes were blazing with anger, causing him to take a step back. Never before had he seen her so angry, despite the handful of times they'd fought in the past. This was a side of his girlfriend completely unfamiliar to him, and he didn't know how to react. He didn't even know she had it in her.

"You're twisting my words to suit your needs. You know what I meant."

"You haven't been complaining the past few weeks. Everything's been fine lately; better than fine in fact. It's been perfect here."

"Because I incorrectly assumed that you and Mezoti were engaged in appropriate activities, not teaching her to fight."

"Many cultures and civilizations teach their children to fight, all I was doing was teaching her to swing a few punches, something hardly worth getting upset about. My father taught me and my sister when we were both younger than Mezoti."

"This is different, Chakotay, and you know it!" Seven's voice bounced off the high ceilings as she grew more and more frustrated with him. How could he not see that this was entirely different? "When you first proposed this living arrangement, you assured me that you were fully capable to looking after a child, but clearly that isn't the case. Perhaps this was a mistake." Chakotay felt his anxiety rising. He refused to believe that this lapse in judgement would cause Seven to take Mezoti and move out. Not only did he love Seven dearly, but he'd come to grow extremely fond of Mezoti as well. The thought of the two of them leaving terrified him, especially because of something he'd done.

"Don't say that," he pleaded, his tone immediately changing from angry to desperate as his mind whirled at warp speed as he tried to figure out how to keep both of them here. "I'll admit that it was a mistake to teach Mezoti how to box, but that's no reason to up and move out. We can work this out, Seven, if you just give me the chance." He reached out to take her hand, but she shook her head and took a step backwards.

"I gave you a chance, and now my daughter is in trouble at school."

"She's my daughter too." The words just slipped out. Chakotay had thought of Mezoti as his own for quite some time now, but he'd never actually admitted it. He and Mezoti had attempted to discuss it several times, but no conclusion had ever been reached about their relationship.

"No she's not."

Mezoti wedged herself between her bed and the wall with the piece of furniture acting as a sort of barrier between her and the fighting downstairs. She'd heard her mother and Chakotay have their disagreements in the past, but never anything like this. Both of them were shouting, seemingly forgetting that she was hiding upstairs and could hear every word of it. What she hated the most was the fact that Seven was blaming Chakotay for everything. She'd asked him to teach her how to box, she was the one who threw the punch that broke Naya's nose, she was the one acting up; it hardly seemed fair to blame him for everything. Had the two of them been living back in their tiny little apartment, she probably would have done the same thing at school, although she wouldn't have known how to punch properly and probably would have ended up hurting herself in the process. It wasn't fair to blame him for her actions. Mezoti thought about going downstairs to make that clear to her mother but ultimately decided against it. She wasn't going to get in the middle of their fight; she wanted nothing to do with them.

Seven couldn't take it any longer. She needed to get out of here, she needed her space, which was nearly impossible given the fact that Chakotay stood directly in her path. While he may appear calm, she could see the little signs that that wasn't true. It was in the way he clenched his jaw, the hints of fire that popped up in his warm, brown eyes and the way his hands twitched nervously, an old habit from his days as a fighter and a rebel soldier. She could also see pain in his eyes from her scathing remark, but she was trying to make a point here. Legally, she was Mezoti's guardian and had been trusted to look after her welfare. Allowing her to engage in such behavior was reckless and irresponsible. Of all the things he could do, this definitely took the cake. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him right now.

"I need to go," she announced. "I need some space to reflect." When she attempted to walk past him, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. With her blue eyes were icy and full of contempt.

"Seven, please." Despite her harsh words and cold disposition, he seemed desperate to keep her close and talk this out to salvage their relationship before it was ruined forever.

"Release me," she snapped.

"Can't we talk this out?"

"Once again, I ask that you release me. The least you can do is respect my wishes, not that you have respected how I want my daughter raised." While Chakotay tried to think of what to say next, Seven wrenched her arm free and stormed upstairs, finally getting the space she desperately needed.

Alone and unsure how to proceed, Chakotay threw himself down on the couch and buried his face in his hands. Although his heart had been in the right place, he had made a mess of this. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to teach Mezoti to box, but, at the time, he'd been desperate for a way for the two of them to connect to make their lives more comfortable that he didn't think things all the way through. He'd thought this whole child rearing thing would be fairly easy, especially since Mezoti was already nine years old. In fact, up until now, it had been pretty straightforward. Now, thanks to him, however, Mezoti had gotten in a fight at school, and Seven wanted nothing to do with him. He wouldn't blame her if she elected to take Mezoti and get out of here, no matter how much he begged and pleaded with her to stay. Everything was falling apart around him now.

For the duration of the evening, Seven hid in her office under the pretense of getting work done, although work was the farthest from her mind. Try as she might, she simply couldn't concentrate on grading her students' latest reports. All she could think about was everything that had happened over the course of the past twenty-four hours. Everything had gone from seemingly perfect to an absolute nightmare. She knew she had said some regrettable things, especially insinuating that Chakotay wasn't Mezoti's father, but she needed to do what was best for her daughter. He was the only father-figure in her life, and he had been trying to bond with her, but he had gone about it all wrong. She was just a child, and he was the adult. The fact that Mezoti had asked him to teach her to box was irrelevant, he should have been the responsible one and said no.

After several hours of attempting to get work done but to no avail, Seven realized that it was getting late, and she needed to go to bed. She'd heard Chakotay come upstairs a few hours earlier and retreat to the master bedroom for the night. Usually they went to bed around the same time. It wasn't something they planned, they subconsciously both gravitated towards the bedroom at the same time so they could spend a few stolen minutes of couple time. Tonight, however, she made the conscious decision to remain awake for an additional two hours, thus ensuring that Chakotay was fast asleep by the time she retreated to the safety of their bedroom. She considered sleeping on the couch downstairs but ultimately decided against it. She'd said some pretty hurtful things to Chakotay, and sleeping on the couch may give him the impression that she wanted to terminate their relationship. She was still mad at him, but not mad enough to do something like that, not yet at least.

As quietly as possible, Seven crept into the bedroom. With the help of her enhanced vision in her left eye, she was able to change into her pajamas and climb into bed without turning on a light. Chakotay typically slept in the middle of the bed, something that annoyed her to no end given the fact that they had an unusually large bed to share, but today he slept on the edge, as far away from her as possible. Taking a page out of his book, she did the same on her side of the bed. The space between them might as be as wide as the galaxy, and it spoke volumes as to the current state of their relationship.

Try as she might, sleep simply alluded Seven. She couldn't help but think about everything that had happened and what the logical course of action was from here. Not only did she have to worry about what was causing Mezoti to act this way, but she had to find a way to fix her relationship with Chakotay. She'd been caught up in the moment and had been out of line; she shouldn't have insinuated that Mezoti wasn't his daughter to take care of. Once they figured out what was wrong with Mezoti, the two of them would need to sit down and discuss these matters privately to repair their fractured relationship.

When Seven woke up the following morning, Chakotay was already up. She didn't see him anywhere, so she assumed he was already downstairs, getting his day started. In a way, she was grateful, as she had no idea what to say to him, but, on the other hand, she was also a little bit disappointed, although she wasn't entirely sure why. She climbed out of bed and went to see if Mezoti was awake. When she opened the child's bedroom door, she found that she too was nowhere to be seen. It was strange, as Mezoti normally slept in as late as humanly possible, but Seven simply assumed that Chakotay had woken her in an attempt to be helpful this morning. Perhaps they'd actually get out of the house early this morning, although Seven doubted it as she headed downstairs.

"Mezoti, please finish your breakfast and go get dressed," she ordered as she walked down the hall to the living room. Chakotay looked up from his seat at the kitchen table where he was drinking a cup of coffee and reading over a PADD alone.

"Mezoti's still asleep," he informed her. "I was going to wake her up in another five minutes." Given everything that had happened last night, he wanted to ensure she got a good night's sleep, which would hopefully put her in a better mood today, and they could start figuring out what was really bothering her.

"No she's not, I just checked. Her bedroom is empty."

"Maybe she decided to regenerate last night." Temporarily abandoning his coffee, Chakotay crossed the living room and went downstairs with Seven right behind him. "Mezoti?" he called as he got to the bottom of the steps. The eerie green lights from the alcove filled the basement, allowing them to see that Mezoti was nowhere to be seen. The color drained from Seven's face as Chakotay turned to face her. Both were hit with the terrifying realization at the same time: Mezoti was gone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

The realization hit the couple like a sack of bricks, instantly sending both of them reeling as a thousand terrible thoughts, each worse than the last, sped through their minds at warp speed. Chakotay dashed past Seven, taking the steps two at a time as he ran upstairs to Mezoti's bedroom. It wasn't that he didn't believe Seven when she said that Mezoti wasn't in her room, he just needed to see with his own eyes that she was in fact gone. Sure enough, when he opened the bedroom door, she was nowhere to be seen. What made the sight even stranger was the fact that her bed had been perfectly made. Never once did Mezoti make her bed without being told, usually several times. All of the toys, books and clothes that had been strewn across the floor were put away as well. It appeared that she'd never been there in the first place, as if she was trying to wipe away her existence. Wide eyed, he turned around to face Seven, who had appeared by his side.

"What should we do?" she asked. Usually she was the calm one in stressful situations, but her voice wavered with emotion as reality began to set in that her beloved daughter, the apple of her eye, was gone.

"Call Axuna's family and Icheb, see if they've heard from her. I'll search the rest of the house." Chakotay went into Captain mode, immediately taking charge of the situation and calling the shots. He put his hand on her arm as he slid past her and dashed downstairs. It was a fleeting touch, but it was oddly comforting. Suddenly, all their fighting last night seemed trivial and inconsequential as more important matters took precedence. They would have to come together and support each other now.

Chakotay started in the basement, searching every corner of not only the main room that housed the alcove but also his "man cave" that held all his boxing gear that had caused so many problems just twelve hours earlier. Thinking Mezoti might be hiding out of fear of being in trouble for her actions yesterday, he looked behind the rack of free weights that was just tall enough for her to hide behind if she crouched down. For half a second, he thought he saw her, but it was just a shadow. She was nowhere to be seen, prompting him to head upstairs to continue his search.

With each room he searched, Chakotay felt his anxiety rising as it only confirmed that she was in fact gone. There was no sign of Mezoti anywhere. He even went so far as to search the little clubhouse that was a part of the playground in the backyard, but she wasn't there either, although it was the perfect place for her to escape the chaos that had consumed their house yesterday. There was no sign of her anywhere; it was time for him to face the undeniable truth that she was gone. This didn't make any sense to him. Yes, he knew Mezoti was struggling the past few days and was obviously in a bad mood, but this was completely irrational and unlike her. She knew almost nobody here and was only a child, she could only get so far.

In her office, Seven hastily punched out directions to contact Icheb first. Her computer began to ring, but it felt like it was doing so in slow motion. It felt like an eternity stretched between each ring. She prayed he wasn't in class. If he was, she would go down to the Academy and talk to him herself, this was an emergency. Unable to sit still, Seven stood up behind her desk, bent over the computer screen. Right as she was about to give up, Icheb's face appeared on the screen.

Before he could properly greet her, she blurted out, "Mezoti's missing. Have you heard from her?" He could hear the despair in her voice. His usually calm, collected mentor was gone, replaced by a mother in anguish.

"What do you mean 'gone'?" he asked, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

"Chakotay and I went to wake her this morning, and she was not in her bedroom. We don't know where she is. Have you heard from her?"

"No, but I'm on my way." Before Seven could protest, he ended the call. For a moment, she thought about calling him back to tell him that he needed to go to class, that he needed to keep up with his studies, but she ultimately decided against it. She knew how much Mezoti meant to him, they'd been through so much together over the past few years, and she wasn't surprised that he would ignore his scholarly duties to help. Seven had hoped that their close relationship would mean that Mezoti was at the Academy searching for Icheb so she could complain about how mean her mother was or something similar, as she had done so many times on _Voyager_. Apparently that wasn't the case. Seven's heart sank. Perhaps she'd gone to Axuna's for some inexplicable reason.

Still standing, Seven punched in the appropriate directions to call Axuna's family. Social convention told her that it was highly impolite to call this early in the morning, but this was an emergency, so all social conventions could be suspended for the time being. After three rings that seemed to last an eternity, Galea appeared on the screen. The woman sipped a cup of coffee and still appeared to be in her robe. The two had spoken several times when planning Axuna's initial playdate with Mezoti but hadn't spoken since, which was why Galea seemed surprised to see Seven on the other side of the screen, especially at this early hour.

"Galea, I'm sorry for calling so early, but Mezoti is missing," Seven blurted out. "Has Axuna heard from her? Chakotay and I can't find her anywhere." Once again, her voice shook with emotion.

"Oh my God, Seven. No, we haven't heard from Mezoti, but I'll get Axuna right now. Just, just wait right here. I'll be right back." Before Seven could consent, Galea disappeared from sight, but she could still hear her. "Axuna! Axuna I need you to come here right now." She paused. "I don't care that you're getting dressed, this is important. Come here." Seven could hear the distinct sound of footsteps as Axuna pounded down the steps.

"What is it?" She sounded slightly annoyed at her morning routine being interrupted.

"Mezoti's mother has called. I need you to talk to her, and I need you to be completely honest." Axuna took a seat at the computer, and Galea stood behind her protectively with one hand on her shoulder to make sure her daughter answered honestly.

"Axuna, Mezoti has run away, have you heard from her?" Wide-eyed, Axuna looked up at her mother, who squeezed her shoulder and gave her a firm look, telling her that she better be honest...or else.

"She ran away?" she squeaked meekly. "No, I'm sorry. We, uhh, haven't spoken the past few days." Seven nearly balked at the admission. She'd been under the impression that everything was fine between Mezoti and Axuna, that their friendship was as strong as ever; no wonder her daughter had been acting so irrationally lately. The pieces were starting to fall into place, although she had countless unanswered questions still; the most important one being where her daughter was.

"Why?" Galea asked. "You two were such good friends." Axuna shrugged.

"I dunno," she muttered as she kept her eyes downcast. "We're just not friends anymore." Galea's gaze was hard, telling Seven that she was going to pursue the matter further in private in the hopes that her daughter would be more forthcoming then.

"Are you sure you haven't heard from her? She hasn't mentioned anything to you over the past few weeks about leaving? This isn't like her." There was undeniable desperation in Seven's voice that made Axuna want to help despite the fact that she ended their friendship. Seven didn't meant to interrogate the child, but she was desperate for answers; she needed to know where her daughter was so she could bring her home safely.

"She hasn't mentioned anything," Axuna replied meekly. "I'm sorry." Seven's heart sank.

"Seven, if we hear anything from Mezoti, I promise you that you'll be the first one we call." Galea shooed Axuna away and took her seat in front of the computer. "Is there anything we can do to help?" She could only begin to imagine what she was going through right now; her heart shattered at the mere thought of her own daughter disappearing.

"If you hear from Mezoti, please let me know."

"Of course." Seven didn't want to stay on the computer much longer, just in case Mezoti tried to call. For all she knew, she could be trying to contact them right now, desperate to come home but unsure how.

"I have to go." Without waiting for Galea to say goodbye, Seven terminated the transmission. She prayed Chakotay had been more successful in finding Mezoti or some hint as to where she could be. She wasn't sure how much longer she could handle this, all she wanted was her daughter back safe and sound.

When Seven came downstairs, she found Chakotay pacing in the kitchen nervously. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths in an attempt to collect his thoughts. Even from a distance, she could see him trying to work out what to do next. For a man who seemed to thrive under pressure, he was already struggling. When he heard Seven enter the room, his head shot up.

"Any luck?" he demanded hastily. She shook her head.

"Icheb said he's on his way, and Axuna said that she and Mezoti are no longer friends." The second admission caught him off guard, and he stopped dead in his tracks. That didn't make any sense to him at all. Mezoti always regaled him with every miniscule detail of her day with Axuna, there was no hint of anything being wrong between them.

"They're not friends anymore?" he repeated just to make sure he heard correctly. "They were practically attached at the hip. What happened?"

"She was unclear on that, but I am confident that Galea will investigate the matter further. What do we do, Chakotay? Mezoti's out there somewhere all alone." Although she'd been here for several months now, she had no idea how to handle a situation such as this.

"We need to call the police." There was only so much the two of them could do on their own, and they were better off getting outside help. San Francisco was a large city, and although Mezoti didn't know the area very well, she was also incredibly resourceful. She could be anywhere.

Within half an hour of Chakotay contacting the police, their house seemed to be overwhelmed by police officers. Five police shuttles were scattered in front of the house while a dozen police officers swarmed the house, treating it like a crime scene. Chakotay clutched Seven's hand as they sat next to each other on the couch across from the lead officer who was a Bajoran barely older than Seven. He had introduced himself as Soren and took dedicated notes on his PADD as he interviewed them, leaving no detail, no matter how insignificant, out.

"When's the last time you saw your daughter?" he asked.

"We got in a fight, and we sent her to her room," Chakotay replied in a strained voice. "I heard her moving around when I went to bed a little after 2200 hours." He clearly remembered hearing Mezoti stomp around and contemplating telling her quiet down before ultimately deciding against it because he didn't want to make matters worse between them. If she wanted to express her frustration with them by stomping around and even throwing some books against the wall, then he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that it frustrated him.

"I went to bed about an hour and a half later, and I didn't hear anything," Seven added.

"And where were you until you went to bed?" Soren inquired.

"My office upstairs."

"So you would have heard if she left?"

"Affirmative." Soren continued to take notes.

"Do you have a holoimage of your daughter that we can refer to?"

"Yeah, uhh, right here." Chakotay reached behind him, blindly groping for the appropriate framed photo from the collection that lined the table behind him and Seven. His fingers brushed against the chosen photo, and he grabbed it. It was the one of Mezoti, Seven and Irene sitting right on that very couch just a few weeks earlier. "Here, that's her." He thrust the holoimage into Soren's hands, and the detective carefully analyzed it.

"This is your daughter?" he asked in confusion. This child looked nothing like them. Seven appeared barely old enough to have a child that age, and she clearly had a ridge along her nose that neither parent had, and she didn't share the complexion of either of her parents.

"Mezoti is adopted," Seven replied. It was the easiest way to describe her relationship with Mezoti. "She was rescued from the Borg two years ago. She's Norcadian."

"Norcadian?" Soren knew he wasn't familiar with every species in the quadrant, but he'd never before heard of Norcadians, not even in passing. In fact, it sounded like a completely fictional alien race to him.

"From the Delta Quadrant," Chakotay explained. Suddenly Soren understood why the couple seemed so familiar to him. He'd seen them on news broadcasts over the course of the past year. He felt embarrassed that it took him this long to recognize them.

"You both work for Starfleet," he realized, some the pieces finally falling into place. Chakotay nodded.

"I teach at the Academy, and Chakotay is a Captain, but I fail to see how that's relevant," Seven snapped. This was a highly inefficient use of time. They should be out there searching for Mezoti, not asking them about their careers and other pointless questions. Her daughter's safety was on the line.

"It's incredibly relevant. Perhaps she was taken by someone who doesn't like Starfleet." Already, the wheels were starting to turn in Soren's head. There were plenty of people out there who didn't like Starfleet: Academy washouts, Maquis-sympathizers, Cardassian-sympathizers; plus there was the issue that the child was a former drone. Anyone who had a loved one assimilated could have something against her.

"So you think she was kidnapped?" Chakotay exclaimed. The very notion sounded ridiculous to him. Nobody took Mezoti, she left on her own accord, even he could figure that out on his own.

"At the moment, we haven't ruled anything out." Seven felt her frustration rising. Very few people knew about Mezoti, and there were hundreds, if not thousands of Starfleet children in this area who could have been much easier targets; it was right near Starfleet Headquarters after all. Mezoti had been unhappy here and run away.

As Chakotay and Seven spoke with Soren, various detectives and officers continued to poke around the house, searching for any hint of where Mezoti might be or what could have happened to her. It felt incredibly invasive to the typically private couple who usually only allowed their close friends into the sanctity that was their house.

"Excuse me, but where does this door lead to?" one of the officers asked as he stood in front of the locked door leading down to the basement. Chakotay swiveled around to see what the officer was referring to. When he saw, he grew visibly nervous and glanced back at Seven who also looked slightly unnerved by the question. They kept the alcove behind a locked door for a reason, most people would find it incredibly unsettling, even if they were allowed to have it here. For a fleeting moment, Chakotay and Seven exchanged glances; it was only for a second or two, but it was long enough for them to have a silent conversation about what was down there.

"It leads to the basement," Chakotay replied.

"Why is it locked?" Soren asked. Now he was intrigued. There was no reason for people to keep their basement door locked, especially a couple that claimed to have nothing to hide.

"It is where my alcove is located," Seven replied, finally taking charge of the situation. She figured the officers were going to get down there whether she wanted them to or not, so she might as well let them do so on her own terms.

"Show me." Soren's tone was surprisingly forceful, although it was difficult to tell if it was because he wanted to search for Mezoti downstairs or he wanted to see a genuine Borg alcove with his own eyes. Seven started to stand, but Chakotay beat her to it. She opened her mouth to protest that she should be the one to show the detective her alcove but ultimately decided against it. Chakotay motioned for Soren to start walking towards the basement. He keyed in the appropriate code, and the door clicked, indicating it was unlocked and open for investigation.

Chakotay felt nervous as he led Soren down to the basement while Seven stayed upstairs. Nobody outside of the inhabitants of the house and a handful of former _Voyager_ crewmembers who had helped assemble the alcove had been down here. The agreement from Starfleet was that they could have the alcove as long as they kept it under lock and key at all times; the last thing they wanted was for Borg technology to get into the wrong hands. The ethereal green light indicative of Borg technology filled the room.

"This is Borg technology?" Soren asked in disbelief. This was something he'd only read about, he never thought he'd ever see it with his own eyes. Wide-eyed, he attempted to approach the alcove, but Chakotay headed him off. This was still his house, and he was calling the shots around here. "And you're perfectly comfortable having it in your house?"

"Of course I am, it's necessary for Seven and Mezoti to regenerate. They need it to survive." Chakotay felt his annoyance rising. What kind of question was that? Determined to get a better look, Soren wandered around the basement, slowly inching closer to the alcove, trying to subtly get a closer look at the fascinating piece of equipment. Determined to keep the detective at bay, Chakotay kept his gaze firmly locked on him.

"And do you feel comfortable living with a Borg?"

"Seven hasn't been a Borg for five years, she's an individual now, and I don't like what you're insinuating. You're here to find my stepdaughter, so I'd like it if you stop asking inappropriate questions about my girlfriend and gawking at her alcove and start searching." Chakotay motioned for Soren to go back upstairs. There was no way Mezoti was down here, and he wasn't going to let the detectives poke around down here, it was unsafe and against the protocols Starfleet outlined when they agreed to allow the alcove to be moved here. They had to keep it under lock and key at all times, even under extreme circumstances such as this. He'd already searched down here on his own, and he wasn't going to violate the orders of his superiors. Sighing with disappointment, Soren headed back upstairs with Chakotay following after him. When they got upstairs, he closed the door firmly behind him,, and it automatically locked, keeping out the prying eyes of the police and Soren.

Chakotay barely had time to decompress from the heated exchange downstairs when he heard shouting and what sounded like a scuffle from the foyer. It seemed like one thing aftre another around here. Both Chakotay and Seven's heads whipped around as they tried to figure out what was going on. In a way, they hoped it was Mezoti returning, although the annoyed and frustrated voices told them that that wasn't the case.

"Let me go, I was summoned here," Icheb exclaimed hotly. In a flash, Seven was on her feet and at the end of the hallway to greet her trusted mentee and friend. Two officers stood in front of Icheb, blocking him from getting further than a few meters into the house. He tried to shove past them, but they were stronger than him. That didn't deter him from trying, he needed to help, to do something to bring Mezoti home safely.

"Let him in," she scolded, temporarily drawing the attention of both officers. Icheb took advantage of the distraction to try to push forward into the house, but they immediately blocked him once again. "He's here to help." She grabbed one of the officers by the back of his shirt and pushed him to the side, finally allowing Icheb to enter the house completely. "Icheb, I told you that you didn't need to come." They walked down the hall to the living room.

"Of course I did, this is more important than my studies." He nodded towards Chakotay, who stood rooted to the floor in the living room. "What happened? You said Mezoti is gone?"

"We think she ran away," Chakotay replied.

"Although abduction hasn't been ruled out yet," Soren interjected as he stood up and approached Icheb with his PADD in hand. Chakotay's clenched his jaw tightly. He refused to believe that someone would abduct Mezoti, and he wished Soren would look past that theory as well; it was the only way he thought Mezoti would come home in one piece quickly. "And who are you?"

"Icheb." The young man's tone was icy and stressed. He already had a bad feeling about this stranger and the men who prevented him from coming inside even though he told them time and time again that he was authorized to be there. "I'm a friend of the family's. Who are you?"

"Detective Soren Isaacson, I'm the lead investigator in this case. We're investigating Mezoti's disappearance." He turned back to Chakotay. "What makes you so certain she ran away?"

"She's been struggling the past few days, fighting at school, fighting at home, and last night she said she'd wished she'd stayed in the Delta Quadrant." Soren continued to take notes, but they didn't seem as detailed as his previous notes, which made Seven grow frustrated. It appeared to her that he'd already made up his mind, and he was going to find whatever evidence he could to prove it.

"But there's no way to get to the Delta Quadrant," Soren pointed out bluntly. Of course they knew that, Seven was one of the ones working on getting back to the Delta Quadrant, but Mezoti was precocious, she'd find a way to get where she wanted to go if that's what she really wanted.

"Excuse me," one of the detectives interrupted, drawing the attention of the foursome. Seven turned around and saw a woman in her late thirties holding up her bag from work. "What's usually in here?"

"My PADDs from Starfleet," Seven replied as she crossed the room and snatched up the bag. It was empty. Last night there had been at least half a dozen PADDs in there, several of which contained data about Pathfinder.

"What was on them?" the female detective pressed.

"Some contained student work and information for my lectures but others contained classified information." Soren looked confused now as he crossed the room to examine the bag closer as well. Sure enough the bag was completely empty of all PADDs or other similar equipment.

"I thought you taught at the Academy. What kind of classified information would you have there?" Icheb couldn't help but roll his eyes at the ridiculousness of the question. He couldn't believe that this man just asked Seven about classified information.

"I also consult at Starfleet on a highly classified project." Soren and the female detective locked eyes, silently having a conversation. To them, this changed everything. Not only was this little girl a former Borg drone, but her mother was working on a highly classified Starfleet project. If someone was looking for the perfect child to kidnap, this child was it.

"Who else knows about this?" Soren asked.

"Only those who work on the project. I only consult one evening a week." It didn't take long for Seven to put together what he was thinking. "Nobody is even supposed to know about the project, the fact that I am discussing it with you violates Starfleet protocol." She turned to face Icheb, who looked hurt that he'd been left out of the loop about her job. He always assumed he and Seven had a completely open relationship, but apparently that wasn't the case. He understood that Starfleet had classified assignments and projects, but the least she could have done was tell him that she was working on something for Starfleet, he'd understand. If she kept this from him, what else was she keeping from him? She wasn't acting rationally at all.

"We'll investigate further to see if that's true. Right now, I'm inclined to think that this was an abduction. There are plenty of people around here who dislike the Borg, so it would make sense that someone might want to do your daughter harm. Plus there are many who dislike Starfleet, especially if you're working on a top secret project of some sort." Chakotay opened his mouth to protest but ultimately decided against it. This was ridiculous, nobody would abduct Mezoti. This man had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

Feeling proud about his brazen conclusion, Soren stalked off to investigate further and look at the work of the police officers. If this really was an abduction like he assumed, there would be evidence all over the place. He had to oversee the collection of evidence and investigation to make sure everything was followed to the letter. This was his first case on his own, and he was thrilled to get such an exciting one. Not only was it a missing child, but she was the stepdaughter of a Starfleet Captain whose mother was working on a mysterious project for Starfleet; it didn't get more prestigious than this. Now he just had to figure out who would want to harm this child or her family, and then he'd be able to find her.

Chakotay couldn't believe this. There was no way Mezoti was abducted. There was absolutely no sign of anyone breaking into their house, and she'd exclaimed last night that she was miserable here and wanted to leave. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd run away, not that she had anywhere she could go. This was Federation space, crime was all but non-existent, and people didn't break into random houses in search of children to abduct, even if she was a former drone and stepdaughter of a Starfleet Captain.

"I'm not just going to sit around here while they convince themselves that Mezoti was abducted," he announced to Seven and Icheb with bitterness in his voice. "Icheb, stay here with Seven. I'm going to go out and look for Mezoti myself." He kissed the top of her head softly, an action that she found oddly comforting. "Don't worry, I'll find her." His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he walked away with his head held high and determination in his steps. Seven wanted to believe him. It wasn't that she doubted his resolve to find Mezoti, she just didn't know if he would be able to find her. She was an incredibly smart child, and San Francisco was a huge city, there were countless places for her to hide.

"I'm coming with you," Icheb argued as he held his head high and thrust out his chin before jogging after Chakotay. He loved Mezoti like a sister, and there was no way he wasn't going to help. Chakotay turned around.

"I need you to stay here with Seven." He lowered his voice. "She's acting like she's fine, but she isn't. If something goes wrong, I need you here with her. These police won't know how to support her." He patted Icheb on the arm lightly. "Look after her." His biggest fear was that Seven would completely snap, and if that happened, she needed someone here to comfort her, someone who understood her. In his mind, there was no person better suited for the job than Icheb.

"Yes, Sir." Although he wanted to help, he knew that someone needed to stay here with his mentor and close friend. If this is what he needed to do to help, then that's what he would do. Icheb glanced back at Seven. Although she gave the outward appearance of being fine, he knew her well enough to know that it was all an act. It was subtle changes to her appearance: the way her eyebrows knit together in concern, the small lines that creased her forehead and the jerky, disjointed way she moved gave away that she was in distress. All of them were signs that she was struggling to hold it all together. Chakotay was right, someone needed to be here with her, just in case.

Not sure where to start, Chakotay climbed in his shuttle and took a few moments to collect his thoughts. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath and leaned back. Horrible thoughts plagued his mind, of terrible things happening to Mezoti. It wasn't bad enough that she hadn't even been on this planet for a year, but she was also incredibly sheltered. Out of fear for her safety, Seven kept her on a tight leash. As a result, she knew almost nobody on this planet and didn't know her way around the city very well. He decided to start by looking near the apartment complex Seven and Mezoti used to live in before moving in with him. It was a longshot, but it was somewhere she was familiar with, so she might head there just to get a break from everything going on at home. With some sort of plan in mind, Chakotay sat up properly and started up the shuttle in a matter of moments, he was on his way as fast as he could towards the apartment complex on the other side of the city.

Inside, Seven paced nervously, clenching her hands in tight fists, a habit she'd picked up from Chakotay when he was stressed. She had so much pent up energy, she needed to do something to make herself feel useful instead of just sitting around and hoping Mezoti walked through that door. She understood why Chakotay left, the need to be useful drove her crazy, and she wished he could go with him, she wanted to help him look as well. On the other hand, she knew that one of them had to stay here, just in case Mezoti returned. With any luck, Chakotay would be back soon, with Mezoti in tow.

After overseeing the investigation upstairs in the bedroom, Soren returned with his PADD full of new notes clutched tightly in his hands. He scrutinized every square centimeter of the living room as if a clue to whoever he thought took Mezoti would magically appear before his eyes. There was a lack of evidence upstairs, but that didn't deter him. He knew someone took this child, and he was going to find out who and bring her home safely.

"Ms. Seven, is there anyone you can think of specifically who would want to harm your daughter?" he asked.

"Of course not, she's a child," Seven snapped, wishing he would get off this theory that someone kidnapped Mezoti. Just like Chakotay, he thought that the notion was absolutely ridiculous. Anyone with eyes could see that she had run away from home.

"You mentioned that you got in a fight last night. What was it about?" Seven glanced over at Icheb. She hadn't wanted him to find out that things weren't going as planned at home; this was a private matter. He already had his doubts about the living arrangement, and she didn't want news of a fight to further his beliefs that this was the wrong place for her and Mezoti to live.

"She's been struggling at school. Yesterday I was summoned to the school because she got in an altercation with another student at recess, and I took her home. We fought about her behavior, and I sent her to her room."

"And you didn't think to mention this earlier?" Soren snapped testily. "What's the name of this student? Perhaps they had something to do with your daughter's disappearance."

"You can't possibly think that another student took Mezoti," Icheb exclaimed incredulously. It had to be the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. This man was probably the most unqualified person to handle this situation, and yet, here he was, acting like he owned the place and making all sorts of false presumptions.

"Right now I am simply collecting as much information as I can. Do you know the name of the other student?"

"Mezoti mentioned her name; it is Naya, but I'm unsure what the surname is." Nodding slightly, Soren continued to take dutiful notes on his PADD. This was the best lead he'd gotten all day, and his heart swelled with excitement over the prospect of getting a concrete lead like this.

"I'll have someone go to the school to get more information while we figure this out." He walked away, leaving Seven and Icheb alone once again. She refused to believe that Naya had anything to do with this. Yes, she didn't know the child at all, but there was no way another little girl could even be capable of something like this.

Chakotay walked along the winding pathway that connected the complex of tall apartment buildings together, his eyes open for any sign of Mezoti. His gaze lingered on each child as if he could force them to transform into Mezoti before his eyes. Unfortunately, that never happened. It didn't stop him from spending over an hour scouring every square centimeter of the apartment complex. Since it was during the day, most people were gone, making the searching process easier but still incredibly discouraging. All the children left on the premise were significantly younger than Mezoti, with the oldest barely being five years old, but that didn't stop him from looking, mentally willing them to turn into the missing child.

Never one to just sit still, Seven felt herself starting to grow crazy at home. Chakotay had been gone for hours now, and there was still no word from him. She should have insisted that he wear his combadge, at least then she'd be able to communicate with him if necessary. Now, he was out there, and she had no way of knowing if he'd been successful in his search for Mezoti, although she knew that as soon as he found her, he'd bring her home immediately. She prayed he was successful, she needed him to find Mezoti before she went absolutely crazy here. Seven's agitated mood was only exacerbated by the police officers and detectives who were everywhere, continuing to poke around and make a mess of their orderly lives.

Sensing Seven's tense mood, Icheb approached her and tried to think of what to say. Comforting people had never been his area of expertise. To the regular person who was unfamiliar with her mannerisms, she may look calm and unfeeling, but he could see how stressed she was in the subtle way she tilted her head and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Seven, perhaps you should sit down," he prompted as gently as possible as he motioned towards the couch.

"I'm undamaged and do not require rest. I require Mezoti, I need to know that she's alright." Icheb eyed Soren, who was across the room talking to another detective. The detectives may pretend to talk to each other, but he knew they were really talking about him and Seven, as if they had to do with Mezoti's disappearance. He could feel their eyes on them, scrutinizing every little thing they did as if looking to find fault in them. Icheb turned his body slightly, blocking Soren's view of him and Seven so they could have a more private discussion.

"Of course she's alright, and Chakotay is going to find her. By this time tomorrow, she will be back and outside digging for bugs to fill her specimen containers." When Mezoti returned, Seven wasn't going to let her out of her sight ever again.

"I should be the one out there looking, not Chakotay." Mezoti was her daughter, her responsibility. She should be the one taking charge of the search, not Chakotay, who wasn't the child's father.

"If anyone is going to find Mezoti, it's Chakotay," Icheb assured as he put a supportive hand on Seven's arm. Chakotay was one of the most determined men he'd ever met in his life. Plus he had a way of beating the odds and making the best of increasingly difficult situations. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. It was something Chakotay usually did when he was stressed, a habit he'd picked up from Kathryn, and now Seven had apparently picked it up from him.

"I don't know what to do, Icheb." Her voice momentarily cracked with emotion. It was fleeting, but he definitely heard it. "She's my daughter, and she's missing. What if someone did take her? This was supposed to be a safe place for her to live." Now she was starting to actually believe Soren's ridiculous story that Mezoti had been abducted.

"Nobody took Mezoti," Icheb hissed under his breath. "You're being irrational." She knew he was right. She was letting her emotions get the better of her, which would do them no good in their current situation. She needed to be strong, to keep her head on straight, no matter how she felt on the inside.

After searching the apartment complex, Chakotay flew around aimlessly, trying to think of where Mezoti would go before he finally headed over to the school. He had no idea why he went there; it had caused Mezoti so much pain over the past few days. Still, it was the only place he could think of for her to go. He landed the shuttle down the block from the school and walked in front of it. There were a handful of children playing, but most were in class. In front of the school, almost exactly where he landed his shuttle every day to pick Mezoti was a police shuttle. At least they were doing something right and talking to administration and getting information about Naya, whoever that child was.

Chakotay was wholeheartedly disappointed with how the investigation was being handled. This Detective Soren person didn't seem to know what he was doing and was determined to twist the evidence to fit his own theory of what happened, potentially overlooking crucial evidence as to where she really was in the process. As much as he hated to admit it, Chakotay knew Mezoti had run away. He'd worked so hard to ensure she was comfortable and enjoying herself, and he really thought she was finally settling in. The two of them got along incredibly well, and he found himself looking forward to preparing dinner with her every night. When he'd first invited Seven and Mezoti to live with him, he never expected this to happen, he thought that Seven would take care of Mezoti, and he and Seven would continue their romantic relationship, and that would be the end of that. It seemed that he had grown to care deeply for her, and the thought of something happening to her made him feel sick to his stomach and determined to find her no matter what. Over the past few weeks, however, they'd become more than a disjointed unit of people living together, they had become a family.

For that reason, Chakotay spent several hours searching the neighborhood around the school in the hopes that Mezoti would appear somewhere. He wandered aimlessly up and down each street, glancing into the backyards in the hopes that Mezoti was hiding there, trying to elude his keen eyes used to tracking animals. There was no sign of her anywhere, but that didn't discourage him. He'd gotten crewmen out of more difficult and precarious situations in the past, he would bring Mezoti back home no matter what.

It was nearly 1800 hours by the time Chakotay returned home. As soon as he walked into the living room, Seven turned around. Even from across the room, he could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes at the prospect of Mezoti returning in one piece. Their eyes met. She could see the pain in his dark brown eyes and the way his eyebrows furrowed together, accentuated by the tattoo over his brow. Her heart sank. She did her best to keep her emotions at bay, but a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her, gathering her close to his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he stroked her hair. "I looked everywhere I could think of, and I didn't see her anywhere. I'm going to go back out."

"No," Seven blurted out as she pulled away. Chakotay looked confused and was about to ask why, but she continued, "I need you here, with me. I cannot do this alone, Chakotay." He brushed away her tears with the pad of his thumb. He wanted to go back out to search, but he was also exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He could also see in her eyes that she needed him here. His only consolation was that Icheb had been here to comfort her all day.

"Captain, perhaps I should go out in search of Mezoti," Icheb suggested.

"Icheb, I can't ask you to do that. It's getting late." Chakotay knew Icheb's heart was in the right place, but he didn't want to give him any orders or ask him to do anything that he wasn't comfortable with.

"All the more reason for me to go. Mezoti doesn't know how to survive on her own." Seven opened her mouth to protest, but Icheb continued. "I'm going regardless of you feel. We aren't in a command situation, you cannot force me to comply." That much was true, all Chakotay could do was plead with Icheb to remain here. "I do not need to regenerate, so there is no need for me to remain here. I am just as concerned about Mezoti as you are, and I am going to go search for him." He thrust his chin out defiantly.

"Fine, but return by 2300 hours. I don't want you out all night," Chakotay relented. The thought of Icheb, who was almost as naive as Mezoti about Earth, still didn't sit well with him, but at least now he had established some sort of parameters.

"Aye, Sir." Even though they weren't in a command situation, the words just slipped out. They'd been so natural to Icheb, and he couldn't imagine referring to Chakotay as anything else, especially now that he was a captain for Starfleet.

Shortly after Icheb left, Soren gathered Seven and Chakotay on the couch to update them on the progress of their search for Mezoti, although Chakotay felt that he'd done more today in his search for Mezoti than they had. The couple sat on the couch, and he clasped both her slender hands in his larger, tanned hands. While the very thought of being in the same room as him infuriated her twenty-four hours ago, now she needed him right by her side as a source of comfort.

"We spoke to the school and found out that the girl your daughter had an altercation with is named Naya Pritchard," Soren explained. "Have either of you heard that name before?"

"No," Chakotay replied. When he glanced over at Seven, he could all but see the gears in her head spinning as she stared off into space. "Seven? What's wrong?" His voice brought her back to reality. She jumped slightly and shook her head while blinking several times to regain her faculties. Intrigued, Soren leaned forward, this may be the bit of information that finally breaks the case.

"Ms. Seven, have you heard that name before?"

"It sounds somewhat familiar, but I cannot place it." Her voice was distant as she tried to think of where she'd heard that name. It was on the outer fringes of her memory, like something that she hadn't encountered herself, but she still knew it somehow. For someone with an eidetic memory, this was incredibly frustrating. The detective turned to Chakotay.

"Are you sure you haven't heard the name before?" He sounded skeptical, as if he didn't believe him anymore. Chakotay took a few moments to mull over the question before finally shaking his head.

"No, there was no member of _Voyager_ with the last name of Pritchard, and I've never encountered someone with that last name since returning." He paused. "Look, I don't want to undermine your job, but I refuse to believe that someone took Mezoti. We got in a fight yesterday, and then Seven and I were fighting. Mezoti said that she wished she were back in the Delta Quadrant, so that's where I would start looking."

"We have already searched all nearby shuttle stations." Chakotay knew that was true, as he too had searched all the stations, and he believed Icheb would do the same in his search this evening. "And we're continuing to do so." It was the best they were going to get right now, and both Seven and Chakotay knew it. He continued to clutch her hand tightly while she clung to him for support. Clearly this man was determined to prove that Mezoti had been abducted no matter what.

It was growing late, which only caused Seven to worry even more. Right about now she would be ushering Mezoti off to bed while Chakotay playfully undermined her authority by promising her that he'd be up in a few minutes to read with her. She'd pretend to be annoyed, but in actuality, she was glad they enjoyed spending time together. What she wouldn't give to have that playful banter going on right now, instead of this horrible nightmare. To make matters worse, a sharp pain started radiating from behind her optical implant. It was difficult to tell if the headache was caused by the stress of Mezoti being missing or the fact that Detective Soren refused to leave, just in case something happened over the course of the night.

Letting out a sigh, Seven propped her arm up against the arm of the couch and rubbed her forehead above her implant in the hopes that it would alleviate her pain, not that it did anything to help. Instead, the pain continued, pulsing painfully against her skull. Chakotay sat next to her on the couch and put a warm hand on her knee.

"Babe, you should rest," he urged gently. She shook her head but instantly regretted it, as it only caused her head to feel worse.

"I'll rest when Mezoti is back," she insisted firmly. "I can't sleep knowing she's out there somewhere."

"I'm not talking about sleep. You need to regenerate, it's been a few days." She hadn't even thought about regenerating, there seemed to be so many more pressing matters at hand. At least one of them was looking out for her welfare.

"I'm fine." He didn't believe it for a second. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips in an attempt to convince her to give in to his pleas.

"Seven, please." His voice was soft and gentle, yet, in a way, forceful. "You need to take care of yourself also. Icheb and I will stay awake. I promise you, if something happens, we'll come get you right away." Seven leaned against his shoulder and mentally contemplated if it was worth going down to regenerate, she was confident that she could go another day or so before the symptoms became too much for her to handle.

"You promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" He had an excellent point. Letting out a sigh, she stood up. Perhaps if she regenerated, this awful headache would subside, and she would be able to concentrate better on finding Mezoti.

 _Green light surrounded Seven. Her body moved mechanically as she marched from console to console carrying out her task. Stretched out on the table was a young woman, barely older than herself. Wide-eyed, her head whipped from side to side as she tried to figure out where she was. Her chest heaved anxiously, and tears streamed down her cheeks._

" _Please don't," she begged. Seven ignored her pleas as she continued to prepare for the assimilation process. She grabbed the woman's chin in her vice like grip and jerked her head to the side. Metal tubules shot out of the implant on her hand, dangling in the air for a moment before thrusting into the woman's neck. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tried to break free. The straps on the table held her down, refusing to give in, even a little bit. "Please, I'll give you whatever you want, just don't assimilate me," she continued to plead, although her pleas fell on deaf ears. "I have a family, children, don't make them grow up without a mother." Seven couldn't help but think how pathetic it was. No matter how many people were assimilated, they always had the same pleas for mercy, often bringing up their families, as if that could make a difference. Resistance, as always, was futile. Assimilation was essential for Borg survival, the fact that they had a family who would potentially miss them was irrelevant, they would be assimilated regardless._

 _Slowly, the woman's pathetic cries for mercy subsided as the nanoprobes did their job and began to work through her system. As Seven took a moment to analyze her work, another drone stepped forward and began to attach the neural interlink to the woman's scalp; without it, she wouldn't be able to communicate with the Collective. As the drone did so, the woman's information appeared on a console behind Seven. She extracted her tubules from the woman's neck and crossed the small room to analyze the information on the screen. She only had a few minutes to work. Even with all their efficient tactics, the Borg were being pushed to their limit. Over the course of the past few days, they had assimilated nearly 9,000 new drones. It was the most they'd assimilated in such a short amount of time in several years, and it was also their most successful stand against the Federation to date. Seven glanced at the console for a moment, just long enough to see the former designation of the new drone flash across the screen: Naya Pritchard._

 **Author's Note:** What did you think? Leave a review and let me know.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Upstairs, Chakotay sat on the couch with Icheb, who had returned unsuccessfully from his attempts to locate Mezoti. He leaned forward on the couch with his head cradled in his hands while trying to think straight, but his mind was a shuffled mess. All he wanted, more than anything else, was to hear Mezoti come pounding downstairs, swinging on the bannister like he told her not to do so many times, and then jump down the two steps into the living room, causing his artifacts on the shelves to tremble slightly in place. Usually those little things annoyed him to no end, but now he'd give anything to hear them one more time. Chakotay couldn't help but mentally berate himself. Had he not taught Mezoti to box, none of this would have happened; she wouldn't have hit Naya, which wouldn't have caused all the fighting last night, and she wouldn't have run away. He'd been so focused on trying to create a close bond with the child that he didn't think about the consequences of his actions. Seven had been right, she was a little girl, boxing was hardly an appropriate activity for her to engage in. Clearly he had no business being a paternal figure.

From where he sat on the couch, Icheb carefully analyzed Chakotay. It was obvious that the older man was struggling, not that he blamed him. He seemed to have aged significantly over the course of the day, with deep worry lines creasing his forehead and the corners of his eyes, and he clenched his jaw tightly while he got lost in his thoughts. In some sort of effort to help him feel better, Icheb replicated a cup of tea and held it out to him. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing he could think of doing to make himself feel useful at this late hour.

When Chakotay didn't look up, Icheb gently prompted, "Captain." Chakotay finally glanced up. He had a lost look in his eyes, something Icheb wasn't used to. This man was the type of person who always knew what to do no matter what, but now, he was at a loss.

"Thanks," he sighed as he took the steaming metallic cup and sat back. Even though he wasn't particularly thirsty, he forced himself to take a small sip. The hot liquid sat heavily in his empty stomach; it was the first thing he'd eaten in over twenty-four hours. Icheb wanted to make some sort of small talk, to inquire as to how Chakotay was handling the situation, but he couldn't think of the proper way to engage him in conversation. He could see the man was in pain. Over the course of his time on board _Voyager_ and in the subsequent months that followed, he'd seen Chakotay overcome insurmountable odds and difficult situations, all with steadfast leadership abilities and a calm, collected demeanor. The disappearance of Mezoti, on the other hand, hit him right where it hurt, and he couldn't keep his emotions in check.

Before Icheb could inquire as to how Chakotay was handling the current situation, the basement door burst open, and Seven stumbled upstairs. The color had drained from her already pale face, and it appeared that a cold sweat covered her body. In a flash, both Chakotay and Icheb were on their feet. Soren was slightly slower to react, and by the time he stood up, Chakotay was already across the room and had a protective arm around her. It looked like her legs might give out from under her at any moment.

"Seven, what's wrong?" Icheb asked as Chakotay guided her to the couch. She lowered herself down and took several moments to collect herself. Never before had either of them seen her emerge from a regeneration cycle like this, even when she encountered the Borg Queen or Unimatrix Zero; she was always so calm and collected.

"I am undamaged," she finally managed to say as she attempted to push Chakotay's hand away. She didn't need him hovering over her, she was just a little bit shaken up, which was evident when her usually confident, strong voice faltered. Even so, his protective nature took over, and he wanted to make sure she was alright.

"What happened?" Chakotay pressed, refusing to let go of her hand, moreso so he knew she was alright than to comfort her. She glanced up at Soren, who looked both eager and concerned, which unnerved her. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, and she wished there was some way to send him away so they could have time as a family to make sense of this mess.

"I was regenerating and had an unsettling dream. I was a part of the Collective again and assimilating new drones after the Battle at Wolf 359. The new drone I was assimilating, her name was Naya Pritchard."

"Were you at Wolf 359?" Soren asked a little too eagerly. Chakotay eyes narrowed as he glared angrily at the detective. Now wasn't the time to interrogate Seven, she needed a chance to process what had just happened to her. Clearly, it had been traumatic, and such insensitive questions would only make it worse. Seven stopped to think.

"No," she finally replied.

"Then why would you remember being there?"

"Borgs are implanted with a cranial transceiver that links them with the hive mind. All Borgs have the same memories, even if they didn't experience them firsthand," Icheb explained. "Usually those memories stay dormant, but they can occasional assert themselves."

"How could Naya Pritchard be assimilated when she's one of your daughter's peers?" Soren wondered. Determined to get some answers, Chakotay kissed the back of Seven's hand softly before jumping to his feet. He could access all of Starfleet's records upstairs in his office, which included the names of everyone who was either killed or assimilated at Wolf-359. With any luck, they would provide him with some answers, which might bring them one step closer to finding Mezoti.

Upstairs was a mess. In a frantic search for information, clothes, books and personal items had been strewn across both offices and both bedrooms. It hardly seemed like the best way to search for anything, as they made more of a mess than anything else. Chakotay tiptoed around the books scattered across his office floor and flung himself down behind his desk. At least they'd managed to leave his archaeological artifacts relatively untouched, they were far more valuable than any of the books, which could easily be replicated again if they were damaged. He jerked open his computer. Several missed messages flashed across his screen, mostly from friends who had heard about Mezoti's disappearance and offered to help in any way possible. He'd been so caught up in making sure Seven was alright that he didn't stop to think about his friends and how they might be reacting to the news. He made a mental note to contact them at some point tomorrow. In the meantime, he accessed Starfleet's database and typed in the name Naya Pritchard. She was the first name that came up. When he clicked on it, he discovered that everything Seven had said downstairs was true. Naya Pritchard had been a science officer aboard the _U.S.S. Melbourne_ , whose entire crew was assimilated at Wolf 359. Starfleet's database went deeper, saying that she had a sister, also in Starfleet, who had named her daughter after her dead sister, which is why there was a Naya Pritchard in Mezoti's class, she was the woman's niece. Letting out a stressed sigh, Chakotay leaned back and ran his hands over his face as he tried to process the information. Of course, he had no idea why it was relevant, but at least now he knew why the name sounded familiar to Seven and could explain her dream. If only they could figure out what had transpired between the two girls and where Mezoti had run off to so they could bring her home. Only then would they be able to fix these problems.

Chakotay had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't realize Seven had entered his office until he felt her run her fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. Caught off guard, he looked up at her. Never before had she seen so much pain in his eyes. Leaning against his desk, she stroked his cheek affectionately.

"What did you discover?" she asked softly. It couldn't be good if he reacted like this, which made her nervous.

"Naya Pritchard was a science officer aboard the _U.S.S. Melbourne_ , which was assimilated at Wolf-359. She left behind a sister, Katherine, who is also an officer for Starfleet. She named her daughter after her sister, and that Naya Pritchard goes to school with Mezoti."

"So what does it mean?"

"I don't know," he whispered. "It could be nothing. I can't think straight though." There were bags under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days, even though it had only been one. This experience was starting to wear him out, and he wanted to sleep, but he couldn't do that, not with Mezoti gone.

Chakotay took Seven's hand and pulled her down onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close and burying his face in the crook of her neck. She instinctively rubbed his upper soothingly. Somehow, being in each other's arms made both of them feel slightly better, but both still felt like their hearts had been ripped out and shattered as they both worried about Mezoti.

"Seven, I'm so sorry," he murmured softly against her skin. His voice cracked with emotion. "All of this is my fault. Had I not taught Mezoti how to box, she wouldn't have hit Naya, and she never would have run away. I take full responsibility for this. When Mezoti comes home, I'll understand if you want to return to your apartment." Seven took Chakotay's face in her hand, forcing him to look up at her properly. Twenty four hours ago, she wanted nothing more than to take Mezoti and leave, but now that she'd had a chance to calm down and saw just how much this was destroying him, she knew that to do that would be a huge mistake. Moving in with Chakotay had been the best thing she could ever do, and to take Mezoti away would be a terrible mistake.

"You made a mistake, and I cannot blame you for not being perfect. You did what you thought was best, no matter how irrational it really was." He refused to look her in the eye. "I am not going to leave you though. Despite everything that has happened, Mezoti has grown comfortable here, and I cannot deprive her of a father." The word surprised Chakotay. Wide eyed, he looked up at Seven, whose expression told him that she had selected that word on purpose. Based on her expression, she truly meant it, that she saw him as Mezoti's father. It was a great honor bestowed upon him, even though he was the reason Mezoti had run away in the first place.

"I don't deserve you," he sighed as he rested his cheek against her chest and closed his eyes. The gentle thump of her heart beating just a few centimeters relaxed him. For the first time in over twenty-four hours, he felt slightly at ease.

With Jim Hodges by her side, B'Elanna walked down the shuttle bay. They were here to find a particular shuttle that Starfleet thought would be compatible with transwarp flight. Unfortunately, it wasn't where it was supposed to be, meaning they were stuck searching for the shuttle themselves in the never ending expanse of shuttles. B'Elanna yawned loudly. She attempted to cover up the noise and conceal her exhaustion, but she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open.

"Long night?" Jim inquired. For a moment, B'Elanna thought he might be teasing her, but his face was completely serious. She should have known as much, he was always so serious, no matter Tom and Harry's attempts to get him to loosen up and have some fun. For Jim, whenever he was at work, he was completely focused and serious, no matter what.

"You could say that, my daughter was up most the night, I think she has a cold." B'Elanna realized that despite the fact that they'd been working for over eight months, she knew almost nothing about him. He was young, barely over 20, and always formal and professional. He never once mentioned his personal life, if he was married, had a girlfriend, a family, nothing, He came to work, did his job and left. In a way, that made him an ideal Starfleet officer, but it also made her curious to know a little bit more about him. "Do you have any kids?" she asked.

"No." Jim's voice was firm, telling her that he didn't want to talk anymore about his personal life, although she felt that she was perfectly within her right to ask him a question like that. B'Elanna couldn't help but roll her eyes. So much for getting to know him a little better.

B'Elanna and Jim's footsteps echoed against the smooth floor. The room was easily nine meters tall and a hundred meters long. It was full of shuttles of all shapes and sizes. Some were damaged with phaser blasts marring their hulls. Others were several decades old and obsolete, but Starfleet still hung on to them, just in case. In all honesty, B'Elanna thought that those should be scrapped for parts as soon as possible to make room for newer, more up to date flyers. Scattered amongst the old, damaged shuttles were new, state of the art flyers, just waiting for someone like Tom to appear to take them out for a test flight. B'Elanna couldn't help but think about how much her husband would love it down here. He could easily identify nearly every shuttle in here and rattle off its specs without so much as a second thought. For that reason, she was glad that he was upstairs in the lab, poring over equations and calculations while she was down here looking for the correct shuttle to infuse with the transwarp technology, once they got it all figured out that is. They were here on a mission, not to reminisce on old flyers and show off useless knowledge like that.

As she and Jim searched for the designated shuttle, a shadow along the wall caught B'Elanna's attention. Unsure if she was seeing things, her head whipped around. Sure enough, she could hear the faint patter of feet and a fleeting shadow dash along the wall. They were supposed to be the only people down here, but that didn't appear to be the case.

"Do you see that?" she demanded. Jim attempted to look where she was, but he didn't see anything. He thought that perhaps she was seeing things in the looming shadows that bounced off the shuttles onto the towering walls.

"No…" For a split second, B'Elanna thought that she was just imagining things until she saw the fleeting shadow dance across the wall again. Her hand instinctively flew to her hip as if a phaser would magically appear in its holster, but she was unarmed; almost nobody armed themselves at Headquarters, there wasn't any need to.

"There it was again." Jim reached to tap his combadge to summon help, but she swiped his hand away and instead dashed down the corridor after the shadowy figure, weaving in and out of shuttles in the process. When he realized what she was doing, he knew he had to go after her, there was no way he could send her after the mysterious figure on her own.

B'Elanna wove her way through the collection of shuttles, her eyes darting from side to side, searching for the source of the mysterious shadow. She saw a flash of light brown hair disappear behind a nearby shuttle, telling her she was close and encouraging her to pick up the pace. She jogged behind the figure, determined to catch it and figure out what was going on here, rounding a corner and skidding to a stop; it was a dead end. Her gaze immediately softened when she saw Mezoti standing a few meters in front of her with wide eyes and a shocked look on her face.

B'Elanna let out a frustrated sigh and slumped her shoulders. Of all the people she thought she would run into down here, she never expected to see Mezoti here. Despite the fact that she knew B'Elanna, the child clutched her backpack close to her chest and looked absolutely terrified.

"Damn it, Mezoti, what the hell are you doing here?" B'Elanna blurted out. Her Klingon anger took over, causing the language she usually scolded Tom for using around Miral to slip out. "Your parents are worried sick about you." She took a step forward, but Mezoti took a step back like a scared animal. "Are you going to answer me, or do I have to call your mother?" The threat was enough to snap Mezoti out of her terrified stupor.

"Please don't call my mama," Mezoti pleaded desperately. "She's already so angry with me, and now she's going to be even more upset with me." Having finally caught up with B'Elanna, Jim rounded the corner. He too was surprised to see Mezoti standing in the middle of the shuttle bay. Sometimes there were children upstairs in Headquarters, usually on school field trips, but there was absolutely no reason for a child to be all the way down here. His sudden appearance caused Mezoti to jump slightly; she thought B'Elanna was alone.

"Mezoti, this is my friend, Lieutenant Hodges." B'Elanna kept her voice upbeat and pleasant in an attempt to soothe the child. "He works with me and Lieutenant Paris here at Starfleet." While she kept Mezoti distracted, B'Elanna took several steps closer to her. With her guard down, Mezoti loosened her grip on her bag and dropped it to the ground. B'Elanna took advantage of it and snatched up the bag with the hopes that since she had her bag, Mezoti wouldn't try to run away from her again. Mezoti reached out to stop her, but she was too quick. "Now, do you want to tell me what you're doing here?" Keeping her eyes firmly locked on Jim, Mezoti shook her head. Grumbling under the breath, B'Elanna tossed Mezoti's to him. Caught off guard, he nearly dropped the bag. "Hodges, take that and give us a few minutes."

"Starfleet protocol dictates that we report any intruders to the proper authorities so it can be properly investigated." B'Elanna's gaze hardened. She was very well versed in Starfleet protocol and refused to be bossed around by this little punk who was barely out of the Academy. Besides, these were special circumstances here.

"To hell with Starfleet protocol. This is a child, she's not a security threat, now take her bag and wait over there." Her voice was firm and annoyed as she jabbed her finger towards the opposite end of the shuttle bay. Hodges opened his mouth to protest but ultimately decided against it. Glowering with frustration, he swung Mezoti's bag over his shoulder and stalked away, clearly upset not only at being bossed around but at the blatant disregard for Starfleet protocol.

Once they were alone, B'Elanna flung herself down on the ground and leaned against the wall. She motioned for Mezoti to join her. Reluctantly, the child sat about a meter away from her and stared at her hands, which twisted nervously in her hands. Hopefully with Jim gone, she would open up a little bit, and then B'Elanna could get her home to Chakotay and Seven, who were undoubtedly worried sick about her.

"You do realize that most of the police force and half of Starfleet is looking for you," B'Elanna started. Her voice was surprisingly firm and annoyed. She knew it wasn't her place to scold Mezoti, but she couldn't help it; this was serious. "Your parents are worried sick about you, and of all the places for you to go, you come to a shuttle bay at Starfleet?" It had to be the dumbest idea in the world. She had to know she would have been caught. Mezoti shrugged indifferently and continued to stare at her hands, refusing to even look at B'Elanna for a split second. The woman rolled her eyes and slid across the floor to get closer to her. "The least you can do is look at me when I'm talking to you." She took Mezoti's face between her thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look up at her. "Because I'm trying to figure out why you think your life is so bad here that you have to run away from home." Her voice bounced off the high ceilings of the shuttle bay.

"Are you going to take me home?"

"Of course I am, but not after you talk to me." When B'Elanna looked in Mezoti's eyes, she realized she was going about this all wrong. It looked like the little girl was about to burst into tears. Sighing, she forced herself to relax and released her from her grip. As frustrated as she was, she was going to have to soften her demeanor. "You know, I tried to run away when I was your age." Her eyes grew wide.

"Really? Why?"

"My parents were fighting all the time, and I realized that things at home might be better if I weren't there. Looking back, I realized that it really wasn't that bad. I had two parents who cared about me, even if I didn't think so. I had a roof over my head, food to eat and people I cared about, just like you do." Mezoti shook her head. From the outside, it might appear that she had all those thing and more, but after what happened at home, she knew better.

"Mama and Chakotay would be better off without me. I should have stayed with Azan and Rebi." B'Elanna's heart melted. She knew exactly what it was like to feel like your parents didn't love you, but she knew that that wasn't the case with Mezoti. Seven would do anything for her, and Chakotay spoiled the child rotten. She had two parents who literally worshipped the ground she walked on, if only she could realize that.

"That's not true, Mezoti, and you know it. Your parents love you more than anything else."

"Chakotay isn't my father," Mezoti exclaimed angrily. Clearly B'Elanna had inadvertently pushed some buttons. "Even my mama said that. I heard them fighting about me, and now Mama and I might leave and move back to that tiny apartment. If I had remained in the Delta Quadrant, none of this would have happened, and they would be happy together."

"They are happy together, but they need you to be happy as well. A family can't be happy without all its members together, which includes you." Mezoti hated to admit it, but she knew B'Elanna was right. That didn't mean she wanted to go back, but she had to, for the sake of her parents.

"Are you going to take me back?"

"Well I can't exactly let you live the rest of your life here." B'Elanna scrambled to her feet, prompting Mezoti to do the same. "Now, come on. Chakotay will undoubtedly kill me if I don't get you home soon." She started to walk away, but stopped when she realized that Mezoti wasn't following after her. She turned around and put her hands on her hips. "Are you coming?"

Wide-eyed, Mezoti whispered, "They're going to be mad at me." She sounded fearful, mostly at how her mom and Chakotay would react to everything she'd done. She might have been in trouble before, but now she knew she was going to be in even more trouble. B'Elanna put a supportive hand on her back and began to guide her towards the exit.

"Yeah, they might be, but I also know that they'll be so relieved to see you." Having no choice but to follow after B'Elanna, Mezoti dragged her feet. She'd done so many horrible things the past few days, and she was terrified of how her mom and Chakotay would react. She was already in trouble for hitting Naya, and it was going to be worse now that she'd run away from home.

B'Elanna found Jim waiting patiently for her and Mezoti near the main entrance to the shuttle bay. As soon as he saw them, he straightened up and squared his shoulder as he held out Mezoti's bag for her to take, but B'Elanna beat her to the punch. She was going to hold onto that backpack, just in case Mezoti tried to make a run for it; she wouldn't be able get far without her belongings.

"I'm going to take Mezoti home, I'll be back later," she announced as she slung the bag over her shoulder. Mezoti chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She didn't want to go home and face her mom and Chakotay; if they were upset the other night, they'd undoubtedly be furious today.

"What should I tell the Admiral?" Hodges inquired.

"The truth," B'Elanna replied in an annoyed tone. "He'll understand, and if he doesn't, I'll deal with him when I get home." Jim had no idea how B'Elanna could act so brazenly about the Admiral. Yes, he knew he was her father-in-law, but he still demanded a certain respect that she didn't seem to give him all the time. In his opinion, she needed to be more careful about how she treated her superior. "Come on, Mezoti." She kept a guiding hand on Mezoti's back as she steered her out of the shuttle bay to where her and Tom's shuttle was outside. She kept her hand on her back to guide her but also so she could grab her in case she tried to make a run for it. B'Elanna doubted that Mezoti would try to flee from her, but she also never thought that she would run away in the first place.

As soon as B'Elanna took off, she began to punch directions into the communication system built into the shuttle. The computer screen in the middle of the control panel beeped and rang, indicating her call was being transmitted. It rang a dozen times, each time B'Elanna hoped that someone would pick up. She was starting to get frustrated when finally the ringing stopped. Mezoti's heart sank when she saw Chakotay appear on the screen. Luckily, how the computer was positioned, he couldn't see her. He looked absolutely exhausted and stressed beyond belief, and Mezoti knew that that was all her fault, which only made her feel worse about herself.

"B'Elanna, now's not a good time," he snapped. He wanted to keep this line open in case Mezoti tried to contact them.

"I know. I have Mezoti here with me. I'm on my way to your house, I should be there in about fifteen minutes." Chakotay's shoulders slumped, and he leaned back in his chair. It looked like he was in his office. Just like that, all the tension and stress that consumed him seemed to melt away as relief washed over him. This was probably the best news he'd heard in an incredibly long time.

"Is she alright? Where did you find her?"

"She was at Headquarters, hiding in a shuttle bay. She's fine." B'Elanna glanced over at Mezoti who looked like she was going to be sick to her stomach. All the color drained from her face, and she stared off into space, refusing to look at the computer screen. "Look, I'll be there in a little bit, and you can talk to her all you want. I'll see you soon." Chakotay opened his mouth to ask another question, but she ended the transmission, There would be plenty of time to talk when she got there.

As soon as the transmission from B'Elanna ended, Chakotay was on his feet and went flying out of his office, nearly tripping over the books and personal belongings he had yet to clean up on the floor. None of that mattered to him, he had far more important things to take care of.

"Seven!" he called as he pounded down the stairs. It sounded like a herd of elephants came down the stairs, instantly drawing the attention of Icheb, Soren and Seven, who were all sitting anxiously in the living room. "Seven!"

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she rushed to the foyer. Chakotay was in such a rush that he nearly ran her over.

"B'Elanna has Mezoti," he announced. "She's alright and bringing her home as we speak." Relieved, Seven leaned against Chakotay as he gathered her up in his arms and pressed a firm kiss to the top of her head. Both had a few stray tears of relief in their eyes as all the stress that they'd suffered through didn't matter anymore. Their daughter was coming home, and she was fine.

"Who's B'Elanna and why did she take your daughter?" Soren asked as he and Icheb stood in the hallway. Just like that, Chakotay's joyous mood flew out the window. He really wished that guy would leave them alone.

"B'Elanna's one of my oldest friends, and she didn't take Mezoti, she found her," he snapped as he looped his arm around Seven's waist and gripped her hip firmly. His fingers dug into her flesh as his frustration continued to rise, but she ignored the discomfort, as she was getting upset with this detective as well. Soren looked almost disappointed that Mezoti hadn't been abducted. Not only that, but he and his men hadn't done anything to actually solve this case. Had they not been called, Mezoti still would have been brought home safely. Essentially, they weren't needed. He knew he should feel relieved that the child was coming home, but he had hoped that this would be the case that would catapult him to the spotlight in his precinct. He would have to find some other case to thrust him into the limelight.

The closer she got to home, the sicker Mezoti felt. She was pretty sure she would actually be sick as nerves consumed her. She had no idea what to say to her mom and Chakotay. While she hoped they wouldn't yell at her, what she hoped even more was that they wouldn't start fighting with each other. She'd only heard them ever fight twice before, and what had happened the other night had been the worst. She thought back to what Naomi told her so long ago: they were meant to be together and get married, and she'd nearly ruined all of that, which was why she'd left. She never thought she'd go back, although her plan had been flawed from the very beginning, and now she had to face them. She had no idea what to say or how to explain her actions. Her mom would be angry, and Chakotay would be disappointed in her.

B'Elanna landed the shuttle outside Chakotay and Seven's house. She easily recognized their shuttles in the driveway, along with two police shuttles nearby. Other than that, the street looked perfectly normal, no different than the times she'd been by to help set up the alcove, which seemed like a lifetime ago. She swiveled her seat around to face Mezoti, who made no effort to get up.

"Ready?" she asked.

"No." B'Elanna ignored Mezoti's apprehensions and took her by the arm, just to be safe, although at this point, any attempts to run away again would be pointless, she was caught and had nowhere to go. With Mezoti's bag in one hand, she lead her up the path and into the house without bothering to knock.

The second Seven heard the front door open, she was on her feet and rushing to the foyer with Chakotay and Icheb hot on her heels. Ignoring B'Elanna completely, Seven knelt down and threw her arms around Mezoti, refusing to ever let go again. At first, Mezoti resisted until she felt something wet against her cheek and realized that her mother was crying. The realization caused her to relax and finally return the hug, although not nearly as tight as her mother, who refused to let her go. She had expected to walk inside and immediately be greeted with firm reprimands and scolding, not a hug and free flowing tears.

After what felt like an eternity, Seven loosened her grip on Mezoti just enough to look at her properly. She could see the glimmer of tears in her mother's eyes, something she'd never seen before, she was always so serious and composed. It was then that she realized the severity of her actions. By running away, she'd made a terrible mistake.

"How could you leave?" Seven demanded firmly. There it was, there was the scolding Mezoti braced herself for. "We have been incredibly concerned about your welfare, and you have been hiding at Starfleet Headquarters the entire time. Something terrible could have happened to you, you could have been damaged."

"Seven." Chakotay put a hand on Seven's shoulder, causing her to look up. "Perhaps this is something we should discuss in private." She glanced up and saw Soren standing just behind Chakotay with his PADD out, ready to ask his own questions. There was an eager glimmer in his eyes that put her on edge. As she stood up, Seven kept her arm around Mezoti, as if afraid that letting go of her would cause her to run away once again.

"If you don't mind, I have some questions I'd like to ask," Soren announced. This didn't surprise Icheb, Seven or Chakotay at all. They expected a full on interrogation here, which was what none of them wanted. They just wanted to put all of this behind them.

"Please, let us deal with this on our own. Mezoti ran away, but she's safe now. We have some private issues to discuss," Chakotay requested. Used to being listened to the first time around, he grew frustrated when Soren refused.

"We still need to find out why your daughter ran away in the first place." As a Starfleet Captain, Chakotay was used to being listened to the first time around, so he grew frustrated when Soren refused. They needed time as a family, not being bombarded with questions by an over eager detective.

"Mama and Chakotay were fighting because of me, so I left," Mezoti blurted out unprompted. "I didn't intend for the police to get involved."

"We still need to ascertain if this is a safe environment for your daughter." Silent up until now, B'Elanna felt her anger rising. That had to be the most ludicrous thing she'd ever heard in her life, and there was no way she could simply stand by and let this stranger make all sorts of wild accusations.

"You're joking, right?" she exclaimed. "Of course this is a safe place for Mezoti to live. There's probably no safer place for her to live in the entire galaxy. All children consider running away, I must have at least a dozen times, and I even left one time. Nobody dared question if my parents were unfit or anything, they brought me home, and my parents dealt with it on their own. To suggest that Chakotay and Seven aren't good parents is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life." Chakotay put out a hand to cut B'Elanna off. He knew that once she got worked up like this, she could continue rambling forever. As soon as she saw the subtle action, she closed her mouth but continued to scowl.

"B'Elanna, not now," he quietly urged in his typical calm voice. There was a hint of authority in his voice, which was enough to get her to stop talking.

"I concur," Icheb added. "I've known Seven and the Captain for several years now, and if anyone is suitable for raising Mezoti, it is them. Their credibility as parents should not be called into question because of one mistake, and I am confident that countless admirals from Starfleet would support me." Soren's brow furrowed in frustration. Normally he wouldn't readily believe parents of runaway children when they said that everything was fine at home, but he would make sure to follow up with Starfleet admirals to ensure to veracity of their claim. If anyone around here could be trusted, it would be someone in such a command position.

"Very well," he relented as he shoved his PADD in his pocket. "But I will be following up in several days to make sure everything's alright." He jerked his head towards the front door, indicating that the remaining police officers should follow him out. At least for the time being, the small family was free from the unnecessary interrogation from the overeager detective, which was a blessing itself.

Shortly after Soren and the police left, B'Elanna took Icheb back to Starfleet so he could get some rest and she could return to work, leaving the small family alone to pick up the pieces and figure out what had caused this to happen. This was an issue for the three of them to deal with on their own, they didn't need spectators watching. There was so much that needed to be discussed, but neither Chakotay nor Seven knew where to start. Their minds both spun at warp speed. While they were relieved to have Mezoti home safely, clearly they had a lot to talk about if she felt that her only course of action was to run away in the first place.

Mezoti sat uncomfortably on the living room chair while her mom and Chakotay sat next to each other on the couch. She kicked her legs back and forth uncomfortably and refused to look either of them in the eye. She could feel their gaze boring into her, which only made her feel worse. When she left, she hadn't thought about returning or the consequences of her rash actions.

"Why did you leave?" Seven finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over them. Mezoti figured that she might as well be honest. At least then her parents might not be quite as mad at they were, although, right now, they looked more relieved than anything else.

"You and Chakotay were fighting, and I heard you say that moving here was a mistake, and I knew it was all my fault. I thought that if I left, you'd be happy again." Her voice was soft, a barely audible whisper that made it hard for her parents to hear her.

"How could you possibly think that?" Chakotay questioned. His tone was harsher than he intended, but he was trying to understand Mezoti's logic. Not once during their fight had they blamed her, instead putting the blame on each other. As far as they were concerned, none of this was her fault. "You and your mother moved here so you could go to a good school, have room to play and make friends. She did this for you." Mezoti always assumed they'd moved here because it was the natural progression in his and her mother's relationship, not for her own benefit. Apparently she was wrong.

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes. This was news to her.

"Of course." She flopped back in her seat and pouted.

"Well, you wasted your time, because I don't have any friends here."

"What happened to your friendship with Axuna? You two appeared to have been forging a strong bond." Seven couldn't figure it out, one day Mezoti and Axuna were practically attached at the hip, the next, their friendship appeared to be over. A few tears welled up in Mezoti's eyes, and she chewed on her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. Saying it aloud would make it all true, and she wasn't sure how to handle that. On the other hand, she wasn't sure if she could keep it inside any longer. Her chest tightened, and she could all but feel the words bubbling up inside of her.

"I don't know," she finally blurted out. Unable to hold it back any longer, she began to sob uncontrollably. "She said we can't be friends anymore, and now she won't talk to me." The floodgates had been thrown wide open, and there was no stopping her now. "And now she's playing with Naya, and I don't know why because Naya's so mean to me. All she does is say horrible things to me, and she was saying terrible things about you both, and I couldn't stand it anymore, because how can she be so mean to people she doesn't even know?" Without warning, Mezoti flung herself out of her seat and threw her arms around her mother's neck. Seven automatically wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her down. Comforting people wasn't her area of expertise, but she knew enough to know that she should hold her daughter close. Feeling useless, Chakotay stroked Mezoti's hair as she clung tightly to her mother. He couldn't just sit here and watch a child he cared about deeply lose it like this; he needed to do something to help her.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked. "We could have said something to the school and put a stop to the bullying."

"I thought I could handle it on my own, but then she said that Borgs can't love anyone and that you were dumb for trying to love Mama." Her voice was muffled by her mother's neck as she refused to look at either of them. Seven tilted her face back so she could look at her properly.

"You know that is untrue, because I love you."

"I'm sorry, Mama." Seven stroked her daughter's cheek affectionately with the back of her hand. Mezoti turned her attention to Chakotay. "I'm sorry." He put his large hand on the back of her head, pulling her close so he could kiss her forehead softly.

"I'm just glad you're home safe." He paused. "Next time something's bothering you though, I want you to come to us so we can discuss it together. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Seven twisted Mezoti's body, indicating that she needed to get up, her bony knees and elbows were digging into her, causing her discomfort. Sensing what her mother wanted, Mezoti reluctantly unfolded herself from her mother's grip. Rather than return to her previous seat, she sat between Seven and Chakotay on the couch. She found the close proximity to both of them comforting, like they could protect her from everything happening at school.

There was still so much both Seven and Chakotay needed to know, so many questions left unanswered about this entire stressful situation. Both of them took a few moments to collect their thoughts, trying to figure out where to go from here. At least they knew why Mezoti left, and with that information, they could try and fix her problems. No child should have to suffer bullying like that, especially Mezoti. She'd already been through so much in her young life.

"Mezoti, why did you go to Starfleet?" Chakotay finally asked. It was a question that had been bothering both of them since she got back. Of all the places they expected her to go, neither one of them thought to look at Headquarters; she'd only been there a handful of times, not enough to feel comfortable there. Mezoti shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't want to get in more trouble, but they already seemed so calm about everything going on.

Finally, she replied, "I heard you and Mama talking about Pathfinder, and I thought I could get back to the Delta Quadrant." Now that she said her plan aloud, Mezoti realized just how ridiculous it was. Even if she found a shuttle leaving Earth, the chances of it heading towards the Delta Quadrant were basically non-existent; they were still testing out transwarp technology, it would be a while before they sent actual people. At the time that she ran away, however, it was the only thing she could think of. Her only focus was getting out of here, not on the how much her plan made sense. "I took Mama's PADDs to use the security codes to get into Headquarters and find a shuttle. I didn't know what I was going to do from there." Chakotay and Seven locked eyes over Mezoti's head. They definitely hadn't been expecting that. In all honesty, Seven thought that Mezoti went to Headquarters because it was one of a handful of places on Earth that she actually knew. Clearly they had to be more careful about their private conversations, as Mezoti had more of a propensity of listening to them than they originally thought.

"Mezoti, what you heard was a private conversation," she admonished sternly. "You should not have listened to what we were discussing."

"I'm sorry, Mama."

Chakotay added, "Pathfinder is classified, you can't go around telling people about it. Only a handful of people know about it, and Starfleet wants to keep it that way." If word got out because of Mezoti, there was no doubt that both Seven and Chakotay would be in deep trouble with their superiors. This was something they had to keep under wraps.

"Why?"

"That is irrelevant," Seven scolded. "Do not tell anyone else about Pathfinder and do not touch anything Chakotay and I bring home from Starfleet unless we give you explicit permission. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama." Seven knew she should have been more careful, but she never thought that Mezoti would steal her work PADDs; she'd never done anything like that before. From now on, she would lock them up in her office as soon as she got home every day. With any luck, there wouldn't be a repeat of anything like this again.

Chakotay felt drained, both physically and emotionally. It had probably been the most difficult forty-eight hours in his life, and he was trying to function on almost no sleep. Nothing he encountered, either on the _Val Jean_ or _Voyager_ could compare to this. He honestly felt that he'd never see Mezoti again. Sighing, he lounged on the couch with his eyes closed and kicked his feet up on the table. He heard the basement door close. Mezoti had been regenerating for approximately two hours, and Seven had been downstairs to check on her at least half a dozen times, not that he blamed her. If she hadn't gone down to check on her, he would have done so himself, just for peace of mind.

As she crossed the living room, Seven was glad to see Chakotay relax. She was starting to feel like things were going to be alright as well. The past few days certainly had trying on their relationship, but if they could overcome this, they could overcome just about anything. As she walked along the back of the couch, she ran her fingers lightly through his hair. His eyes fluttered open, and the faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"How is she?" he asked softly.

"Her regeneration cycle is going fine, there are no foreseeable difficulties." She walked around the couch and sat next to him. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close as she turned slightly to be more comfortable with her chest pressed against his side. "I am unsure how to proceed," she confessed softly. "I have not felt this torn about motherhood since I asked you to find someone else to tend to the children." Chakotay remembered that conversation well; it seemed like a lifetime ago, and now he couldn't imagine anyone else raising Mezoti.

"That's part of being a parent, although I'm not entirely sure what to do next either." She sighed. She really did hope that he would know what to do next, he always knew what to do.

"Would it be irresponsible to keep Mezoti home from school tomorrow?" He stopped to think. He could understand why Seven wanted to keep Mezoti home tomorrow, just to make sure everything was alright. On the other hand, it might be beneficial to send Mezoti to school and get things back to normal as quickly as possible so they could move past this.

"I think that you need to do what's best for you and Mezoti, and I'll support you no matter what." He mindlessly trailed his fingers up and down her arm. For a moment, he forgot about the surgery she'd had several months ago to remove more of her cybernetic implants and couldn't figure out where the implant on her arm went. With the help of the technology available here on Earth, the Doctor had removed several more of Seven's implants. Once he remembered, he went right back to stroking her arm soothingly.

"I want to know what you think and make a decision together." She twisted her body so she could look at him properly. "We're here to raise Mezoti together, therefore you should be involved in the decision making process." It was the perhaps the greatest compliment Chakotay had ever received; Seven saw him as an equal not only in their relationship but also in the process of looking after Mezoti, who wasn't even his daughter.

"I think it might be a good idea to keep Mezoti home tomorrow," he said slowly. "I can call Kathryn, maybe we can go out to her farm for a few days to get away from everything."

"Do you think that such drastic actions are necessary?" Leaving town seemed a bit extreme.

"Clearly Mezoti needs a break, it might be in her best interest."

"What about her schooling? And your work at Headquarters? And my classes at the Academy? These are all things we cannot put on hold." Chakotay shrugged indifferently.

"I can work from Kathryn's farm, and you can hold your classes on the computer for a few days or even get someone to teach your class for you, I'm sure you can find some people to do that, just for a few days. You have to think about Mezoti, what's best for her right now, even if it's inconvenient to you." Seven knew that Chakotay was right. At the moment, Mezoti needed a break from everything going on here, and a few days at Admiral Janeway's farm might be exactly what she needs. She was a mother, she had to put the needs of her daughter ahead of her own needs, and the best way to do that was to leave town for a few days to spend time as a family.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

"And you will contact me without hesitation if something goes wrong?" Seven demanded as she stood firmly in the doorway, hesitant to leave. She gripped her work bag firmly in her hands and looked like she might breeze back into the house at any moment. It wasn't that she didn't trust Chakotay, and she hoped he didn't interpret her actions that way at all. She worried about Mezoti and her recent reckless streak.

"Seven, I promise that if even the slightest thing goes wrong, you will be the first person I call," Chakotay assured as she planted himself in front of Seven, blocking her from reentering the house. He looked surprisingly imposing as he stood in the doorway, although his heart was in the right place. "Now, if you don't get going, you're going to be late for your first class." Seven's eyes flitted over Chakotay's shoulder to the living room where Mezoti was innocently reading a book. As far as she could tell, it was going to be a relatively quiet day for the pair, but that didn't stop her from worrying about any problems that may arise.

"I still have many apprehensions about this," she confessed. He took her by the shoulders and kissed her cheek softly.

"I'll call you at lunch," he promised. She sighed. "You have to go, my love." As much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right. "I'll see you when you get home tonight. I love you."

"I love you too." Seven's gaze lingered on the hallway for a few more moments, longing to stay home today, but between the two of them, it was far easier for him to stay home from work than her, and they needed to have some semblance of their normal routine. Therefore, she had to be the one to go to work today, even though she wanted nothing more than to stay home and keep an eye on Mezoti all day.

"I'll be anticipating your call at lunch." She gave him a quick kiss before turning to leave. She couldn't delay leaving any longer. She had already missed two days of classes, and if they were going to the Admiral's farm for severals days like they intended, then she would need to go in today to ensure her students were adequately prepared for her brief departure.

Ever the gentleman, Chakotay stood in the doorway and watched as Seven's shuttle took off and disappeared from sight. He could understand her apprehensions, but she also needed to put her faith in him. He wasn't going to let Mezoti out of his sight today, not that he expected her to go anywhere or try anything. The child seemed genuinely remorseful about her actions, at least as far as he could tell. As far as he was concerned, it was going to be a nice, calm day for the pair, a chance to relax and spend time together. He wasn't worried at all.

Figuring Mezoti could keep herself occupied with her book for a little while, Chakotay headed upstairs to call Kathryn. He needed to make sure it was alright they came out to her farm before they started making any sort of formal plans, although if she said no, they could probably go somewhere else for a brief family vacation. Before going upstairs, he glanced down the hall to where Mezoti was reading her book. He knew he promised not to take his eyes off of her, but he also needed to take care of this call in private. After what happened yesterday, he knew Mezoti wasn't going anywhere; she was too wrapped up in her book to notice if he went upstairs. Besides, last night he'd programmed the computer to notify him if anyone exited the house, either via the front or back doors. It sounded a bit extreme, but it gave him and Seven some peace of mind last night.

In the privacy of his office, Chakotay opened up his computer and called Kathryn. It was still fairly early in the morning, but he knew she would be awake, old habits died hard, so both of them were incapable of sleeping in very late at all. The computer rang twice before Kathryn appeared on the screen.

As soon as she saw Chakotay, she demanded, "How come I had to find out about Mezoti from Tom? Were you ever going to call me and let me know?" Chakotay was taken aback, as she looked genuinely angry with him, which almost never happened. He could count on one hand the times she had been angry with him, so he wasn't entirely sure how to react.

"Kathryn, I, uhhh, I'm sorry. Things were a little bit crazy around here, Seven and I haven't really been able to talk to anyone lately." Kathryn looked less than amused at the explanation as she pursed her lips and glared at him. She understood where he was coming from, but she wished he had had the decency to tell her about Mezoti himself; they'd always had a completely open and honest relationship with each other.

"How is Mezoti doing?"

"She seems alright, but Seven and I aren't entirely sure what to do next. She's being bullied at school by a little girl whose aunt was assimilated at Wolf 359, and her only friend at school isn't talking to her anymore."

"And you and Seven had no idea?" Kathryn sounded shocked. Last time she'd talked to Chakotay, he kept bragging about how his relationship with Mezoti was going, that she told him everything, and he really felt that everything was going great at home. Now, to hear this, she had no idea what to think. Clearly, things weren't going as great as he originally thought. He shook his head grimly.

"No," he admitted, his voice full of shame. Ever since Mezoti made her confession about everything going on at school, he'd been beating himself up mentally; he should have been able to see that something was bothering her, but whenever they were together, she seemed upbeat and like nothing was wrong. Clearly he needed to pay closer attention to her in the future. "I thought everything was fine. When Seven and Mezoti moved in here, I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but I never expected anything like this. This is way more than I bargained for."

"Do you regret it?" The question seemed absolutely ridiculous. Yes, the past few days had been extremely difficult, and he and Seven were trying to figure everything out. Both of them were fairly inexperienced at parenting, and this was something that would make even the most experienced parents stumble. On the other hand, he didn't regret it at all. Every relationship had its hardships, and, so far, he and Seven hadn't had too many problems with theirs...until now that is. They would find a way to overcome this, they always did.

"Of course not, I'm just trying to figure out what to do next."

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to ask me for a favor?" Kathryn asked. Even over the computer screen, she could see in his dark eyes that there was something more on his mind. She wished Chakotay wouldn't beat around the bush and instead just come out and ask.

"Seven and I were wondering if your offer to visit your farm still stands. We want to get away for a few days, to regroup and figure things out. You know, give Mezoti a break from everything going on." The request immediately caused Kathryn's gaze to soften. She had no idea what Chakotay wanted from her, but she thought it would be something far more taxing on her part. This was easy, something she was more than happy to oblige.

"Of course," she sighed. "You don't even need to ask, you could have just shown up here, and I wouldn't have complained. All three of you are welcome here for as long as you need."

"We just need a few days, Kathryn, time to give Mezoti a break from school and to recover from everything that happened." While it may appear that they were running away from their problems, Kathryn knew that that wasn't true, neither Seven nor Chakotay were one to flee from their problems, but they had to think about Mezoti and what was best for her. A break from the chaos of their lives would be the perfect opportunity for them to make sense of everything that had happened and figure out the next steps.

"That's fine with me, I have plenty of room here. When will you get here?"

"Tomorrow, if that works for you. Seven needs to make arrangements for her classes."

"Tomorrow's fine with me. I'll get the guest rooms ready." Already, her mind was working at warp speed, thinking of everything she had to get done in anticipation of their arrival. She wasn't complaining, it tended to get lonely out here on her farm all by herself. Having Chakotay, Seven and Mezoti here would definitely add some excitement to her mundane life, even if it was just for a few days.

After his conversation with Kathryn, Chakotay called Seven in her office. He made sure to time the call to her office hours in the morning so they could talk face to face. The computer rang three times before Seven appeared on the screen. As soon as she appeared, he could see the worry in her crystal blue eyes.

"How are things?" she demanded curtly. Apparently all of the women in his life thought formal greetings were overrated this morning. She seemed tense; he wasn't supposed to contact her for a few hours, so this early call made her think something was horribly wrong.

"Everything is fine," he assured calmly. "I just talked to Kathryn, and she said that we can come out to her farm tomorrow for a few days." For a split second, Seven looked concerned. It was a fleeting glance but enough for him to pick up on. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"That is a little sooner than I anticipated. I will have to locate some suitable replacements to facilitate my classes for the rest of the week." He understood her dilemma. It was easy for him to take off of work, he could simply do his work on the computer from Kathryn's farm. It was slightly more difficult for Seven to be gone for an extended period of time, as the cadets had to learn a certain amount of material in only a few short weeks. There was no way she could simply cancel class for a few days.

"I'm sure if you ask B'Elanna and Harry, they'll be more than happy to take over your classes for a few days." If there were two people who knew enough about the Borg to take over Seven's classes for a few days, it was Harry and B'Elanna. Seven didn't look entirely convinced. She doubted B'Elanna would go out of her way to do something that kind for her. Yes, their relationship had improved over the past year or so, but she wasn't entirely convinced that she would do something like this.

"I doubt Lieutenant Torres would agree to such an arrangement."

"If you need, I can talk to her, she listens to me." She scoffed at the notion and shook her head. Having Chakotay intercede on her behalf would undoubtedly make matters worse. She was a grown woman, and she would ask B'Elanna herself. With any luck, she would agree if she heard that Harry agreed.

"That isn't necessary. I will talk to Lieutenant Torres. I'll go over to Headquarters during my lunch break and speak to them."

"Do you still want me to call you during lunch?"

"No, I won't be in my office. I will contact you for an update this afternoon."

"We'll be here. I love you."

"I love you too." Without another word, Seven ended the transmission. At least he got a far more polite goodbye than greeting, although he could still see the tension and stress in her eyes. Outwardly, she may be acting like she had everything under control, but he knew her better, she was struggling on the inside. He closed his computer and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew he should probably start packing since they were leaving in the morning for a few days, but he could do that later, right now, he had some work to get done.

Chakotay had barely started working when he heard his office door creak open slightly. He looked up from his PADD and saw Mezoti tentatively poking her head inside. He could tell that she was hesitant to come inside, which caused a pang in his heart; it had been weeks since she had been uncomfortable around him. He wanted nothing more than for things to go back to normal, and he knew they would, but it would also take some time.

He put his PADD down and called, "You don't have to hide in the doorway, Zoti. you can come in." She opened the door and inched into the room.

"Are you busy?"

"I'm never too busy for you," Chakotay replied as he sat back, temporarily abandoning his work. Mezoti scurried into the room and leaned against the desk next to him. She eyed the PADDs scattered across his desk; contrary to what he said, he certainly looked incredibly busy. Perhaps she should let him work and return later; what she wanted to talk about wasn't that important to take him away from his work. She fiddled with the hem of her blouse mindlessly as she shifted from one foot to the other. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you mad at me?" Her voice was small, barely a squeak, and she sounded utterly terrified to even be in the same room as him right now. Chakotay sighed. He took Mezoti's hand and gently pulled her towards him, forcing her to sit on his lap. She felt ridiculous, she was hardly a small child who needed to be coddled like this. Yet, she felt oddly comforted being treated in such a manner.

"I'm not mad, but I am disappointed," he replied, choosing his words carefully so he didn't make her more upset. With a confused expression, she glanced over her shoulder, prompting him to continue. "Over the past few weeks, I thought our relationship had grown strong, that there weren't any secrets between us. I always thought you could trust me. Then, I find out that you're having all sorts of problems at school that I didn't even know about. What I don't understand is why. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought I was capable of handling it on my own," Mezoti confessed softly. "I didn't want to worry you and Mama about such trivial issues. It didn't seem so bad at first, but then it got worse, and it got out of hand. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, just know that you can always come to me or your mother if you have a problem. It's our job to help you, no matter what. It could be the most trivial matter in the galaxy, but if it's bothering you, we want to know about it. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir." He pressed a firm yet loving kiss to the top of her head. Despite his reassurances, it felt like there were rocks in the pit of her stomach. She never meant to disappoint Chakotay or her mother, but especially Chakotay. There was something about him that made her always want to put her best foot forward. No matter what, he always seemed to see the best in her, even when she did something as egregious as running away.

Mezoti slumped back against Chakotay's chest and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her long, slender legs dangled loosely on either side of his legs. While she'd been uncomfortable sitting on his lap at first, now she felt right at home and perfectly safe. She knew that no matter what, he would always protect her. She should have come to him sooner with her problems.

"Can we play kadis-kot?" Mezoti asked as she turned her head and batted her eyelashes at him. Instantly, his disappointment disappeared as his heart melted. It was hard for him to say no to her, especially when she looked at him like that. As frustrated as he was that she didn't confide in him about her problems at school, he couldn't turn down that face, and she knew it. He sighed. He never expected that within a few weeks, this little girl would have him wrapped around her finger.

"I have some work to do," he confessed. Her face fell. She really did think that he would come play kadis-kot with her right away. "How about you give me an hour and a half, and then we can play kadis-kot?" Her face lit up. That was a reasonable enough request. She could wait an hour and a half, although it would feel like an eternity to her.

"Okay." In her haste to scramble off his lap so he could start working, she inadvertently elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to groan. Ignoring his discomfort, she dashed out of the room. The sooner she left him alone, the sooner he could start working. Chuckling, Chakotay rubbed his abdomen where her bony elbow jabbed him. He was glad that she seemed happier now.

Usually Seven's lunch was a time for her to relax and decompress before an afternoon full of classes and office hours to tutor cadets. Today, however, she immediately left her lecture hall and headed straight for Starfleet Headquarters. Given the fact that it was midday, there were cadets and officers all over the place, weaving their way across the presidio to get to their next class or to grab some lunch before returning to class. Short on time, Seven dodged cadets and officers of all races and species. She walked with a certain determination in her steps as she come up with a course of action. She needed some sort of plan in case B'Elanna didn't agree to help her; it was absolutely necessary for her to help or else there was no way she and Chakotay could take Mezoti out to the Admiral's farm. Perhaps she could appeal to her maternal instincts. Yes, that's what she would do. With any luck, it would work, and B'Elanna would agree.

As soon as Seven entered the large lab where Pathfinder was run out of, she felt all eyes on her. She'd been coming here for long enough to know that they weren't looking at her because of who she was but instead because of what had happened. Not only had Mezoti's escapade been on the news, but news also spread fast in Starfleet, especially given the severity of a captain's stepdaughter running away, only to be found hiding in Headquarters. Accustomed to staring wherever she went, Seven held her head high as she ignored the hushed whispers and fleeting glances. Her eyes flitted across the lab in search of B'Elanna and Harry.

"Seven," Reg greeted with a smile plastered across his face as he approached her. He stretched out his arms to hug her. Wide-eyed, Seven initially took a step backwards; Reg had never greeted her so warmly before, and it caught her off guard. When she realized that he was perfectly harmless and was acting using typical human social protocol after someone endures a stressor such as a child running away, she returned the hug, albeit quite uncomfortably. "I heard about your daughter, I hope everything is alright. I can't even imagine what you're going through. Please let me know if there's anything you need, I'm here to help you." Seven folded her arms behind her back and put on a strong outward appearance. She hadn't come here to unburden her soul, especially to someone she barely knew such as Reg, although she knew his heart, as always, was in the right place.

"Thank you for your concern." Her eyes continued to scan the lab. "I am actually here to speak to Lieutenants Torres and Kim."

"Harry and B'Elanna? Hmm…" Reg turned around and quickly tried to find them. Suddenly, it dawned on him. "Oh, I saw them go in Tom's office. Try there."

"Thank you." With a curt nod, Seven headed in the direction of Tom's office, leaving Reg standing in the middle of the lab. One day he would get used to talking to her, or at least he hoped so. She was definitely the most intimidating member of Pathfinder, and while she was there to help, he was also relieved that she was only there once a week, as he always felt like a nervous wreck when she was around. It wasn't because she was Borg, she just had this air of superiority about her that everyone else here didn't have. Those who were familiar with her, such as Tom, B'Elanna and Harry, seemed completely unfazed by her demeanor, and he hoped that he would get to that point as well.

B'Elanna, Harry and Tom all crowded into Tom's small office just off the expansive Pathfinder lab. Barely the size of Chakotay's office, it was crowded with all three of them pouring over the computer perched on Tom's desk, which took up the majority of the space. Unlike Chakotay's office, however, Tom's was a mess. PADDs were scattered everywhere across his desk amongst photos of B'Elanna and Miral. It was a cluttered mess, not that anyone expected anything different from Tom.

"We're running into the same problem we've had since day one, the dilithium can't be stabilized at such high speeds," B'Elanna griped as she leaned over Tom's shoulder and brushed his hand out of the way so she could enter information into the computer. Knowing better than to argue with his wife, he simply sat back and let her do as she pleased; it wasn't worth getting into a fight over something so trivial, which would inevitably happen if he dared speak up.

"If we can find a way to stabilize the dilithium, then we can apply the Borg technology to starships, and they can create their own transwarp conduits," Harry interjected excitedly.

"That's a big if," Tom commented dryly as he glanced over at his friend. It was the one thing they'd been working on for weeks now, and they were no closer to discovering a solution. They had some of the greatest minds at Starfleet working on his problem, and yet, they were no closer to figuring it out.

Further conversation was cut off by the door chiming, indicating that someone was there. In a way, Tom was relieved because they were talking in circles, discussing the same issues they always seemed to talk about with no apparent end in sight. It was like a vicious cycle that they never seemed to be able to escape.

"Come in," Tom called. B'Elanna stood up, giving him a chance to look over the information she pulled up on the computer. He was sure if he had to look at this information for any longer, he'd certainly go insane. The door opened, and Seven breezed inside. As soon as she saw all of them crowded around the computer, she felt that she was intruding on some sort of important meeting.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked as she stood in the doorway with her arms folded behind her back.

"No, not at all," Tom assured as he closed his computer, temporarily putting an end to their work. He needed a break anyway. "How's Mezoti doing?" Seven entered the office completely, allowing the door to close behind her. With the addition of Seven to the small office, there was barely enough room for any of them to move around. Tom wasn't sure he'd ever had so many people in his office before, and the fact that there wasn't enough room to move was probably the reason why.

"Mezoti is fine. Chakotay has stayed home with her today." She turned to B'Elanna. "Lieutenant Torres, thank you for your help yesterday and returning Mezoti. Chakotay and I are both extremely grateful."

"Well I wasn't exactly going to let her hide out here at Headquarters. I'm just glad she's alright."

"If there's anything you need, just let us know," Tom added.

"That is actually why I am here. Chakotay and I are taking Mezoti to Admiral Janeway's farm for several days. Seeing as I have already cancelled classes twice this week, I cannot cancel class any more without my students falling behind." She turned to Harry and B'Elanna. "I was wondering if you both could cover my classes. I would compensate you for your time and gladly return the favor." The more she spoke, the faster her words got. It was clear to all three that she had put careful thought into this request. "I am fully aware that you both have prior responsibilities at Headquarters, but Chakotay assured me that he would be able to talk to Admiral Paris about finding some sort of suitable arrangement."

"Seven," Harry finally interjected with a small chuckle. Although there was no doubt in his mind that she planned out a wonderful little speech to convince him and B'Elanna to help her out, he didn't need to hear it, he'd already made up his mind. "It's fine. In fact, I'd be honored to teach your classes. It'll be much better than being here." Perhaps a break was exactly what he needed to get a better grasp on this transwarp issue; they just needed to step away. With an amused expression on his face, he turned to B'Elanna and said, "What do you say, Maquis? Up for a new challenge?" B'Elanna crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one foot, giving her a stand-offish appearance that they were all accustomed to as she thought over the request. She'd never taught before and had no idea how to prepare. On the other hand, she and Harry were probably most familiar with the Borg on the planet right now, so it made sense that the two of them fill in for them. It would also be nice to take a break from Pathfinder and working with Tom every day. B'Elanna looked at Seven and could see the desperation written on her face. This was a woman running out of options who desperately needed some help. There was no way she could say no, she wasn't that heartless.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun," she finally relented, although the slight hesitance was still evident in her voice. "What do you want us to teach?"

"I was hoping you could use your personal experiences with the Borg in your lessons." Seven turned her attention to Harry. "And perhaps include your experiences integrating Borg and Federation technology, such as _Voyager_ 's Astrometrics lab and the Delta Flyer. I am sure my students will find all of that interesting. I will resume normal lessons when we return from Indiana."

Not wanting to be left out, Tom asked, "Is there anything else we can do to help you?" He wanted to do something to help as well, although he wasn't sure he would be much help in speaking about the Borg; B'Elanna and Harry were far more familiar with the technological achievements of the Borg than he was.

"Not at the moment, but I will inform you if that changes." Seven glanced at the computer console on the wall.

"I am afraid that I have to leave now." She handed Harry and B'Elanna each a PADD. "These have all the material my students have already covered. I am sure you will find it informative as you plan your lessons." B'Elanna took her PADD and glanced over the information. She was impressed with the amount of information Seven had covered in such a short amount of time, but it didn't necessarily surprise her, she was obsessed with efficiency, even in the classroom. "I will let you both determine what days you wish to teach."

"We have everything under control, there's no need for you to worry," Harry assured as he glanced over his PADD. Already, he had several ideas about what to talk about. The Astrometrics lab he built for Seven was one of his proudest achievements, and he'd love to teach others how he did it.

As soon as the office door slid closed behind Seven, B'Elanna couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. Confused, Harry looked up from the PADD Seven had given him that was full of an overwhelming amount of information, not that he expected anything less from Seven. Even though she had a lot going on in her life, she was never one to overlook small details.

Just as confused as his best friend, Tom asked, "What?" She ran her fingers along his back, rubbing his shoulders and neck mindlessly.

"I'm just trying to picture Seven of Nine, technology addict, on Janeway's farm." Now both men were picturing that as well. They knew Chakotay enjoyed the outdoors immensely, but Seven desperately needed her technology. While the Admiral's farm wasn't exactly off the grid, it was definitely going to be a shock to her system, which they all wished they could see with their own eyes, it would definitely be amusing.

As promised, Chakotay abandoned his work, but it took a little bit longer than he originally told Mezoti. Not once did she bother him, asking him when he'd be done. Instead, she entertained herself by reading and sketching in the privacy of her bedroom. She was surprisingly patient, for which he was grateful, it gave him a chance to get a decent amount of work done. His goal was to get as much work done now so when they went out to Kathryn's farm he could focus on spending time with Mezoti and Seven. Clearly the child needed his attention, and when he realized that he'd spent significantly more time than he originally promised working, he immediately stopped working. He put his PADDs to the side and closed his computer. The rest of his work could wait until tonight, after Mezoti went to bed. For the rest of the day, she would have his undivided attention.

Before entering Mezoti's bedroom, Chakotay knocked on the door. Her head shot up from where she sat at her desk pouring over her sketches, and he poked his head inside. Various sketches were strewn across her desk, and several even fell to the floor, littering the area around her chair. She certainly had been busy over the past nearly two hours, for which Chakotay was grateful.

"Are you ready to lose?" he teased. Smiling, she scrambled to her feet and snatched up the box containing her kadis-kot game from its spot on the shelf, all the while carefully dancing around the sketches on the floor so she didn't accidentally crumple them. She wanted to hang some of them up, although she was starting to run out of room over her desk. As much as she hated to admit it, she may have to take some of them down to make room for new ones.

Beaming with pride, she announced, "Mama and I play all the time, and I have even defeated her before." She fell into step next to him as they headed downstairs to play.

"Wow, you must be a great player then," he commented in an overly enthusiastic voice. He knew Seven let her win, but not every time, as she needed to learn to be a stronger player. Most parents would let their children win all the time, but not Seven, she was a unique parent. By challenging Mezoti, she was teaching her to find better strategies for future games.

"Icheb says that when I'm older, he will teach me how to play Kal-toh, but he says I'm not ready yet."

"Kal-toh is an incredibly difficult game."

"Do you know how to play?" There was a hint of hopefulness in her voice. Already, a plan was formulating in her head. Chakotay could secretly teach her, and then when Icheb taught her, she could play dumb and beat him in her very first game against him. Wouldn't that be amazing? They entered the living room, and Mezoti set up the board on the coffee table while Chakotay sat on the floor. His knees cracked loudly as he sat down, causing him to groan. Getting old sucked. He leaned against the couch and watched as she dutifully set up the board and organized the pieces.

"I don't," he replied, immediately causing her face to fall with disappointment. He'd been intrigued by the notion of kal-toh, but he'd never taken the time to learn how to play from Tuvok or even Harry. Now that he thought about it, he regretted it and should have learned. Yes, it was a highly logical game, but it also looked easy enough to learn. Perhaps next time he saw Tuvok he would ask him to teach him.

Taking a page out of Seven's parenting book, Chakotay let Mezoti win the first game of kadis-kot, but he beat her the second game, only just a little to give her some hope that she could win another game with him. Not one to be defeated, she begged for best two out of three, which he happily consented to. Not only did he want to give her his undivided attention, but he wanted to keep her distracted. By doing so, she wouldn't think about the problems that had plagued her for the past few days and even weeks. Right now, she was happy and cheerful, just like every other child. Keeping her home from school had perhaps been the best decision they could have made. Clearly, she needed a break and a chance to be a little girl.

After several games of kadis-kot, a tie was called between Chakotay and Mezoti, although she was determined to eventually beat him in a landslide victory eventually. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. They both enjoyed themselves immensely, and Chakotay hoped that they would be able to play again eventually.

"Can we read together?" Mezoti asked as she unceremoniously dumped the game board and pieces into the box and jammed it closed without bothering to check and see if the pieces and board actually fit in the box nicely. As a result, the box bulged slightly where several pieces were stacked on top of each other, but she didn't care.

"Of course," Chakotay replied. Mezoti left her game behind and went upstairs to get a book to read. She'd left her copy of _The Giver_ in her desk at school, so she would have to wait to get that one. There were plenty of other books she wanted to read. The pile of books to read by the side of her bed seemed to grow faster than she could keep up with it, but there were just so many good books out there!

As Mezoti went to retrieve a book for them to read, Chakotay moved to the couch. As he stood up, his joints popped and groaned in protest; sitting on the floor had been a horrible mistake that he immediately regretted. In order to help alleviate some of the pain, he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. He knew it drove Seven crazy when he did that, but she wasn't here to nag him right now. He could hear Mezoti's excited footsteps as she scurried around her bedroom, searching for the perfect book to read. Perhaps he shouldn't indulge Mezoti's every whim, but after the twenty-four hours of hell he and Seven had been through, he would gladly give her the galaxy if it put a smile on her face. He also thought that there should be some sort of repercussion for running away and her behavior at school, but that could come later, after they returned from Kathryn's. Right now, they needed to focus on family and healing.

With her precious book in hand, Mezoti returned to the living room and flung herself down on the couch. Chakotay draped an arm along the back of the couch, giving her room to lean against him with her slender legs tucked neatly under her. Her head tucked perfectly under his arm as she cuddled closer against him with her book clutched tightly to her chest as if afraid it would escape.

"So, what are we reading today?" he asked. Mezoti held out the book so he could read the title: _Matilda_. If memory served, it was an old human story, but he had no idea what it was about. One thing was for sure, he'd read a wide range of literature he'd never even consider before with Mezoti, but he definitely wasn't complaining. In fact, he'd done some research into appropriate books for girls Mezoti's age to read, and not just human books but also Vulcan, Bajoran, Bolian and even some exciting Klingon tales, not that Klingons were known for their literary works. He had an impressive list, and he planned on giving Mezoti a few in the coming weeks, once they finished this new book that is. "Alright, Zoti, let's get started." Smiling contently, Mezoti settled comfortably against him and opened to the first page.

"It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful," she read. Somehow, Chakotay managed to hold back a scoff; what kind of book was this? He couldn't believe this was a book for children, it sounded absolutely awful. He made a mental note to screen her books more carefully in the future, because this book sounded horrible. He hoped it would get better, because he didn't want to tell Mezoti to stop reading it, because that would only make her want to read it even more.

When Seven got home from work, she wasn't greeted with the usual sounds and smells of dinner being prepared in the kitchen. Confused, she put her bag down and walked down the hall to the living room where she found Mezoti curled up against Chakotay, dutifully reading aloud as he followed along. Both were completely enthralled in the book and unaware that they were being watched as Seven stood silently in the doorway. It was a beautiful moment between the two of them.

"Matilda leapt into Miss Honey's arms and hugged her, and Miss Honey hugged her back, and then the mother and father and brother were inside the car and the care was pulling away with the tires screaming. The brother gave a wave through the rear window, but the other two didn't even look back. Miss Honey was still hugging the tiny girl in her arms and neither of them said a word as they stood there watching the big black car tearing round the corner at the end of the road and disappearing for ever into the distance," Mezoti read before closing the book. Sensing that they were done, Seven entered the living room.

"It appears that you two had a productive day," she commented as she eyed the box containing the kadis-kot game and the closed book clutched in Mezoti's hands. Chakotay glanced at the clock on the computer console embedded in the wall. He couldn't believe that they sat here for over three hours and read that entire book cover to cover.

"I'm sorry, babe, we lost track of time," he explained as he got to his feet and leaned over the couch to kiss Seven's cheek softly, causing Mezoti to scrunch up her nose in disgust. Why couldn't they do that in private? "I can get dinner started right away." Given the time, they wouldn't be able to eat until significantly later than usual.

"There's no need to apologize," Seven assured. "I suggest that we replicate a simple meal for tonight." She turned to Mezoti. "Mezoti, why don't you go select a suitable meal for dinner tonight?"

"Okay, Mama." Mezoti's heart swelled with pride over being picked for such an important task. Sometimes Chakotay left her help pick side dishes for the meal, but never before had she been in charge of picking out the entire meal, this was a huge responsibility. She had to make sure she made the right choice or else they might not let her do it again.

Chakotay couldn't help but feel guilty. He had one job in the evening, and that was to prepare dinner. Today of all days he had no excuse, he'd been home all day with Mezoti. If anything, they should have had a gourmet meal prepared, they had had all day to cook. Instead, he'd been completely consumed by that book of hers. He had no idea how he'd become so enthralled by a children's book, especially one with such horrible characters. Mezoti had apparently enjoyed it immensely, and he could understand why. While she didn't have horrible parents like the little girl in the book, she was a bit of a social outcast who found solace in academic pursuits and books. Chakotay just hoped that Mezoti would realize that she already had her happy ending, just like the girl in the book eventually got.

Chewing on her bottom lip and twirling a loose strand of hair around her finger, Mezoti stood in front of the replicator in the far corner of the kitchen and scrolled through the database of selections. She much preferred making meals from scratch with Chakotay, it was more fun and was something she looked forward to every evening. Today, they had spent their time together doing something equally as entertaining. She just hoped that her mother wouldn't be too upset with them, she was a woman who emphasized routine above everything else, and tonight's routine had been disrupted because they'd been so caught up in their reading. At least her mother couldn't argue that they had been caught up in a frivolous activity. Remembering she had a task to complete, Mezoti returned to scrolling through the replicator database in search of a suitable meal for tonight.

Once they were alone, or as close to alone as they were going to get, Seven took a seat on the couch, prompting Chakotay to take a seat next to her. He instinctively draped his arm along the back of the couch, his fingertips brushing along her bony shoulder mindlessly. She leaned against him slightly but still maintained her rigid posture.

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Mezoti was distracted with her task, as was her goal when giving it to her in the first place, before asking, "How were things today?"

"Everything went fine," he replied. "I got some work done, we played kadis-kot, and we read a book together, it was hardly an impressive day." He paused for a moment. "Did you talk to B'Elanna?"

"Lieutenants Torres and Kim have agreed to cover my classes while we're gone." In her typical fashion, Mezoti leapt down the two steps from the kitchen to the living room, causing Chakotay's artifacts scattered on shelves throughout the room to tremble slightly. Both Seven and Chakotay considered scolding her, as they always did, for doing that, but she seemed too proud of herself to warrant such an action.

"I've chosen spaghetti with marinara sauce and garlic bread for dinner," she announced proudly as she leaned over the arm of the couch. She knew it wouldn't be as good as a meal made from scratch, but they didn't have time to cook an entire meal. Tomorrow she decided that they would set aside plenty of time to make up for it with a fantastic meal for all three of them to share to make up for the replicated meal tonight

"That sounds delicious," Chakotay said with a smile. "How about you replicate dinner while your mother and I talk for a few minutes?" Feeling proud with being charged with yet another important task, Mezoti happily complied.

"I'll call you when dinner is ready," she stated before standing up and returning to the kitchen. This was an incredibly important job, not only had she selected the meal, but she was also in charge of preparing it and presenting it. If everything went perfectly, then perhaps her mom and Chakotay would trust her with this more often.

With Mezoti thoroughly distracted once again, at least for another five at the very most, Chakotay and Seven could continue their previous conversation. Not only was she replicating dinner, but she dug through the cabinets to grab the necessary dishes to set the table without being asked. Both of them felt that they could get used to this independent streak from her, as long as she didn't get too out of control.

"Have you discussed our plans to visit the Admiral with Mezoti?" Seven asked softly so the child didn't overhear them. Chakotay glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. Mezoti was completely absorbed with her task of preparing dinner, giving them a little bit of privacy, at least for a few minutes.

"I figured that that would be something you would want to talk to her about." Seven looked less than pleased, but, at the same time, she was also grateful because this was a conversation she wanted to have with Mezoti herself. The two of them had barely had a chance to talk privately since everything had happened over the past few days.

"Very well, I will discuss the matter with her after dinner." There was a clatter in the kitchen and Mezoti excitedly set the table, leaving no small detail overlooked. She had to make sure everything was absolutely perfect so she could be given this type of responsibility again.

It was getting late, and Mezoti was starting to get tired. Since she and Chakotay spent all afternoon reading, she decided not to ask him to read with her again tonight. Besides, she was feeling tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed. Just as she did so, however, her bedroom door opened, and her mother entered.

"Mama?" she asked in curiosity as she sat up and adjusted the blankets around her.

"I wanted to discuss an important matter with you," Seven stated in her typical blunt manner. A horribly sinking feeling formed in the pit of Mezoti's stomach, and her face fell. This was it, the talk she'd been dreading from her mother. Best case scenario, she would have to endure little more than a stern lecture from her mother. Worst case scenario, this would erupt into another horrible fight where hateful insults would be flung back and forth. Mezoti certainly hoped it would be the former, not the latter.

"Am I in trouble?" Mezoti asked in a small voice. She should have figured that there would be some sort of punishment that came with her erratic behavior over the past few days.

"There is the issue of your punishment to discuss, but that is something that will be handled at a later date. Chakotay and I have arranged for an impromptu visit to Admiral Janeway's farm in Indiana." Mezoti anxiously twirled the edge of her blanket around her fingers. In an attempt to read her daughter's reaction, Seven kept her eyes locked on her face. She could see disappointment, apprehension and even the slightest hint of fear.

After a few moments, Mezoti asked in a timid voice, "Am I being sent away because I am in trouble?" Seven's steely demeanor immediately softened as she hooked her finger under Mezoti's chin, forcing her to look up at her.

"Absolutely not," she replied forcefully. "We simply thought that some time away from here, away from the stress you have been suffering through. It is not a punishment but a chance for our family to heal."

"It feels like a punishment," Mezoti grumbled.

"It isn't," Seven insisted. "Chakotay and I think that this is what is best, so you will comply. We are only looking out for your wellbeing. Think of it as a vacation."

"Yes, but when we return, I'll be punished for running away."

"There needs to be consequences for your actions. You cannot simply run away every time you get upset, you must come to either myself or Chakotay when something is bothering you; do not feel that we don't care about you." Mezoti knew that this would turn into a lecture, but it was far better than her mother yelling at her, as most parents probably would do given the situation.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"You're my daughter, you're never bothering me." Seven paused several seconds to collect her thoughts. This was a conversation they should have had yesterday when Mezoti was initially returned home, but she hadn't been entirely sure what to say to her until now; this was a situation she'd been entirely unprepared for as a parent. "I have endured many hardships throughout my life and faced many formidable foes, but nothing frightened me more than the prospect of you being so unhappy here that you ran away."

"I am happy here, Mama," Mezoti cried as she threw her arms around her mother's neck and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm happier here than I ever thought I'd be, and I didn't intend for you to think otherwise." Seven wrapped her arms around her daughter, holding her close against her, feeling the petite frame pressed up against her. "I love you and Chakotay so much, I never want to leave you both again." Seven pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head. Those were perhaps the best words she'd ever heard in her life.

 **Author's Note:** If you've read Coming Clean, this is the same exact author's note, so feel free to skip it. I'm so sorry about not posting sooner! Over the course of a month, I met the most wonderful guy (who quotes Star Trek, added bonus!), went back to work (I'm a teacher) and went back to grad school (only one more class left!). So, it's been pretty crazy! I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Kathryn cradled her beloved cup of coffee in her hands and took a small sip of the liquid, allowing it to warm her up and chase away the cool air that swirled around her. What she really wanted was for the caffeine to kick in and help her wake up a little, that was the purpose of coffee after all. She'd spent the majority of yesterday preparing for their arrival, including setting up both guest bedrooms and trying to think of activities to keep Mezoti entertained during her visit. It had been exhausting and a job that kept her up far later than she originally thought. In terms of activities to keep Mezoti distracted from what had been going on at home, there was plenty for her to do outside, such as playing with the animals, swimming, and she even considered a campfire outside tonight. This was going to be the vacation all three of them desperately needed to relax.

The familiar click of Sadie's nails against the hardwood floors caught Kathryn's attention. She looked up from her coffee and smiled as the Irish Setter puppy bound into the kitchen and leapt onto her lap in a graceful bound. She wagged her tail and shoved her face in Kathryn's, nearly causing her to spill her precious coffee in the process.

"Okay, okay, I see you," Kathryn chuckled as she ruffled the dog's ears and tried to kiss the top of her head, if only she'd sit still long enough for her to do so. Sadie was too excited to be on her mother's lap and instead focused all of her attention on licking her face. "Yes, I know, I love you too. I love you too." Kathryn immediately regretted opening her mouth; in her excitement, Sadie inadvertently shoved her tongue in her mouth, causing her to cough and sputter while doing her best to push the puppy's face away and get her a break from the attention This wasn't the first time this had happened, and it definitely wouldn't be the last; she really should have known better.

The sound of a shuttle landing outside caught both Kathryn and Sadie's attention. She glanced at the computer console built into the wall; they were right on time. She grabbed her cup of coffee and twisted her torso so she could get one last sip without Sadie getting in the way. Undeterred, the puppy pressed her nose against her mother's cheek and wagged her tail excitedly. Kathryn rolled her eyes and put her coffee down.

"Okay, you win, I'll drink my coffee later." She nudged the dog to the floor. All gangly legs and less than graceful, Sadie stumbled to the ground. For a moment, Kathryn thought that she was hurt, but she immediately bolted for the front door, telling her that she was perfectly fine. Kathryn put her cup down once again and followed after her.

Sadie could see the shuttle sitting next to Kathryn's shuttle on the large expanse of the front yard through the screen door. The dog whined and jumped excitedly, wanting nothing more than to go outside and greet the mysterious guests. As soon as Kathryn opened the screen door, Sadie went flying at warp speed across the yard with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth and her ears flying behind her like her own personal nacelles. Chuckling and shaking her head, Kathryn walked down the three steps from the patio to the front yard, trailing after the over-excited puppy who was always thrilled to see guests. She'd make a terrible watchdog, as she always greeted whoever showed up with excitement and a never-ending barrage of kisses, which didn't exactly make her ideal for guarding the house.

With Mezoti by her side, Seven exited the shuttle and appraised the farmhouse. She knew Chakotay had been out here a handful of times since they returned to Earth, but this was the first time she'd visited the Admiral's farmhouse. It was quaint, comforting, exactly the type of house she expected of the woman. The white building hand two stories, emphasized by a gabled roof on the second story and a covered porch that started in front of the house and wrapped around the left side, disappearing from sight. A handful of rocking chairs and potted plants decorated the porch, giving the impression that that was a space Kathryn frequented in the evenings. Several hundred meters behind the farmhouse, Seven caught sight of another structure, a small brown barn surrounded by a fenced in area. She wondered how Kathryn had the time to tend to whatever animals lived there while simultaneously adhering to her duties as admiral at Starfleet. If there was any woman who could find a balance, however, Seven knew that it was Kathryn.

Barking excitedly, Sadie bounced across the yard, giving no indication that she planned on slowing down anytime soon. Gasping in surprise, Mezoti ducked behind her mother, although she immediately felt foolish for being fearful of such a small, harmless creature, not that that stopped her from hiding. She hadn't been expecting a dog, especially one so hyper-active. It looked harmless enough, but she still had her hesitations.

"Zoti, it's just a puppy," Chakotay assured with a chuckle as he exited the shuttle with his and Seven's bag slung over one shoulder and Mezoti's smaller bag in his other hand. Mezoti didn't look entirely convinced as Sadie skidded to a stop in front of the trio, jumping up and down excitedly while she barked and her tongue still hung out of the side of her mouth.

"Sadie, get down," Kathryn scolded. Too excited to comply, Sadie continued to jump up and down, causing Mezoti to continue to hide behind her mother. Seven couldn't understand why something as harmless as a puppy put her on edge. "I'm sorry, we're still working on training." Kathryn wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "It's so good to see you." She patted him on the chest before turning her attention to Seven, hugging her as well. Having lost interest in Mezoti, Sadie turned her attention to Chakotay, who was all smiles as he put down one of the bags and scratched her under the chin. The dog stood up on her back legs with her front legs propped against his thigh, giving him better access to her. "It's so good to see all of you." Kathryn looked at Mezoti. "Look how tall you've gotten!" she gushed. "You must have grown five centimeters."

"Actually, seven centimeters," Mezoti said. Chuckling, Kathryn gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"Well, I stand corrected." Seven looked unamused by her daughter's blatant disregard for protocol; she shouldn't correct the Admiral like that, especially over something as trivial as a few centimeters. Kathryn motioned towards the farmhouse. "Please come in, I'll show you around." Chakotay picked up Mezoti's bag once again. As the foursome began to walk towards the house, Sadie ran ahead. When she realized that everyone else was significantly farther behind her, she made a u-turn and ran back to them, only to run ahead once again, repeating the process all the way up the front porch until she held her head high and lead them inside as if she owned the place herself.

Seven had to admit that the house was incredibly nice and inviting, not that she expected anything less from Kathryn. The entire house was covered with hardwood floors, and the walls were painted a light tan with white trim. Various photos and artifacts hung on the walls, some of which Seven recognized from the Admiral's quarters aboard _Voyager_. Kathryn lead her guests up the staircase immediately to the left of the doorway to show them to their room so they could put down their bags and get settled.

Upstairs, there was a short hallway that bisected the house, ending at a large window that overlooked the back of the house. On either side of the hallway was two doors. Kathryn opened the first door on the left, revealing a small bedroom with little more than a twin bed and a dresser in it. As soon as the door opened, Sadie wiggled her way inside and leapt on the bed. Her stubby tail wagged excitedly as she waited for Mezoti to enter the room so she could play with her. Mezoti was about to enter the room but immediately stopped when she saw the dog. Sensing the girl's apprehensions, Kathryn immediately scooped Sadie up in her arms and tossed her into the hallway. Undeterred, the puppy turned right back around to try again, but Kathryn was one step ahead of her and put her foot out to block her, causing her to whimper in abject protest.

"I know it's probably not as nice as your bedroom back home, but this is your room, Mezoti," Kathryn announced as she stood to the side, allowing Mezoti to get a better look. She was right, it was a very simple bedroom, but it would be fine for a few days.

"It is very nice. Thank you, Admiral," Mezoti said as she sidled past Kathryn and entered the room. Chakotay handed over her bag. She took her bag and looked around. It was extremely small and simple, but there was nothing the Admiral could do about the size of the room, so she kept her thoughts to herself. Besides, it was extremely gracious of her to welcome them into her home, especially after such short notice.

Satisfied, Kathryn led Chakotay and Seven to the next room. Eager for some attention for herself, Sadie trotted alongside them with a smile plastered across her rust colored face. Unfortunately for her, all three of them ignored her as Kathryn opened the next door, revealing the room inside. It was bigger than Mezoti's room, but only just a little. Inside was a double bed that jutted out into the room and was wedged between two nightstands on the left wall that separated their room from Mezoti's and a long, squat dresser underneath a window that had an almost identical view as the window at the end of the hallway. On the far wall was another window. Chakotay was quite familiar with the room, it was where he stayed whenever he visited Kathryn. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd accidentally left a shirt behind last time he was here. Hopefully it was in the same drawer, and he could take it home, as it was one of his favorite shirts.

"Admiral, this is extremely gracious of you," Seven commented as Chakotay slid past her and put their shared duffel bag on the bed to unpack. Having been here several times, he was right at home and felt comfortable unpacking right away.

"Don't mention it," Kathryn assured as she put a hand on Seven's shoulder. "Make yourselves at home. Chakotay knows his way around here." She glanced over at Chakotay who had already unzipped the duffel bag and was digging through it. Packing last night and this morning had been a whirlwind, and he hoped they hadn't left anything important behind. "I'll let you guys get settled. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Chakotay stopped digging through the duffel bag and said, "Thank you so much, Kathryn. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"You need to stop thanking me, both of you." She looked at each of them firmly. "All of you are always welcome here, and I'm glad to have you here." In reality, it got pretty lonely out here, and she missed seeing Chakotay and Seven on a regular basis; a few days with them out here was just as beneficial to her as it was to them. She gave Seven's shoulder one last comforting squeeze before disappearing downstairs to let the couple get settled.

Once Kathryn was gone, Seven had a chance to examine the room more closely. With her arms folded behind her back, she looked around carefully; it was half the size of their bedroom back home, and she had no doubt that they would be tripping over each other over the next few days as they adjusted to the cramped quarters. She stopped to look out the window next to the bed. It had a wonderful view of a pond with a shoreline dotted with trees and a dock on the side closest to the house, although there wasn't a boat tied to it, causing her to wonder what purpose the dock served. Even so, the pond looked lovely and added to the serene atmosphere that seemed to envelope the entire property.

Chakotay looked up from unpacking the bag and saw Seven gazing out the window. Temporarily abandoning his task, he walked around the bed and wrapped his arms around her chest from behind. Seven put her hands over his strong arms and leaned back against him with a sigh. She couldn't help but relax as soon as she felt his arms around her; he had that effect on her. No matter what was going on, she always felt at ease around him.

"What are you thinking?" he murmured. His lips were right next to her ear, and his warm breath tickled her skin. He brushed his lips along the sensitive spot beneath her ear.

"I was simply admiring the view," she replied. He kissed her shoulder softly. "I hope this works, Chakotay, because if it doesn't, I am unsure how to proceed." He turned her around so he could look at her properly. He took her face in his hands and ran his thumb across her cheek affectionately.

"Then we'll figure it out together," he promised, his dark eyes full of compassion and understanding. As much as he hated to admit it, he too had no idea what to do if this little vacation didn't work out. Just like Seven, he was still getting used to this whole parenting thing, and the last thing he expected was for Mezoti to pull a stunt like this. This seemed like the best course of action, but that didn't guarantee that it would work. "This isn't your burden to carry on your own, my love, I'm here, every step of the way." Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead against his. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that he would support her no matter what. She bent one arm along the side of his shoulder, allowing her to run her fingers along his jaw lightly.

"Chakotay, I feel that this is unfair to you. When you agreed to our living arrangement, you did not expect such difficulties."

"You're right, I didn't, but it doesn't bother me. It comes with the territory, and I love Mezoti." It was the first time he'd admitted that aloud to anyone, but it was undeniably true. Over the past few weeks, he'd come to regard the child as someone close to his heart, just like Seven, and, in a way, he thought of her as his own child. At first, he'd honestly been extremely reluctant about the living arrangement, but now he couldn't imagine it any other way; the house wouldn't be the same without her.

"I know she adores you as well." Chakotay couldn't help but smile, showing off those dimples that Seven loved so much. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he ran his fingers along her back lightly, each slipping away to their own private thoughts.

In the privacy of her temporary bedroom, Mezoti unpacked the clothes she packed under the meticulous eye of her mother the night before. She tried her best to keep the clothes neatly folded as she carried them across the room in a few short strides and shoved them in the dresser drawer, instantly messing them up, although it wasn't intentional. She glanced out the window. It was incredibly nice here, lots of space to play and activities to keep her busy. Even so, this felt like a prison to her, a place she was brought to as a punishment for her behavior. Had she not acted so erratically, they would be home, and everything would be alright. Mezoti couldn't help but feel guilty, she'd forced her mother and Chakotay to take precious time off of work, and they were an imposition on the Admiral. She should have known better, she should have behaved like she was expected so none of this happened.

After giving Mezoti enough time to get settled, Kathryn headed back up to the little girl's room with Sadie faithfully by her side and knocked on the door. She didn't want to make it look like she was hovering and didn't trust the child, but she also knew that, like her parents, she should keep an eye on her, just in case.

"Come in." She opened the door, revealing Mezoti sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed on top of the patchwork quilt that was decorated with square bullseyes with brightly colored tulips adorning each layer, reading something on her PADD. Sadie darted forward before her owner could catch her and jumped on the bed, landing squarely on Mezoti's lap, causing her to cry out and push the animal away.

"Sadie!" Kathryn scolded as she rushed in and scooped the dog up. As soon as she realized that it was the Admiral visiting her, Mezoti scrambled to her feet, just like her mother taught her to do with authority figures within Starfleet. It took her a few moments longer than usual because of Sadie's intrusion. Sadie wiggled and fought, desperate to get to her new friend, oblivious to the fact that her so-called friend wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. In an attempt to calm the puppy down, she scratched the top of her head, which worked, but only a little; Sadie still wanted to play with Mezoti., and she squirmed slightly as she attempted to break free. "At ease, Mezoti. You're on vacation here, there's no need for any formalities."

"Sorry, Admiral." Mezoti sat perched on the edge of the bed and kicked her feet back and forth as she tried to figure out what in the world she wanted with her.

"Don't apologize, Mezoti." Kathryn paused. In all honesty, she'd very seldom interacted with Mezoti, usually only when she tagged along with Naomi when she performed her duties as Captain's Assistant. She hoped to use this opportunity to get to know her a little bit better as well, seeing as she was the adopted daughter of two people she cared very deeply about. "I'm going to head down to the barn to check on the animals, would you like to join me?" Mezoti raised an eye skeptically, causing Kathryn to bite back a smile; she looked so much like her mother, she could have sworn that they were biologically related.

"The animals?" she repeated, obviously hesitant as she eyed Sadie suspiciously. She wasn't exactly a fan of Sadie, so she couldn't imagine voluntarily going out to a building full of animals.

"They're a lot calmer than Sadie, I promise. It's just a horse, some goats, a cranky old pig and about a dozen chickens."

"That doesn't sound like much of a farm." When she first arrived and saw the barn, she imagined the structure to be full to the brim with all sorts of animals, not a handful of random farm animals. The words just slipped out. As soon as they did, Mezoti realized that her words could be misconstrued as disrespectful. Her eyes grew wide. "Oh, I apologize. I did not mean to be disrespectful."

"It's fine," Kathryn assured. "You're right, it's not a very big farm, but it's enough to keep me busy. It would be nice to have a little bit of help today though." Mezoti wasn't entirely convinced. She eyed Sadie, who had calmed down significantly and seemed more than content to be cuddled in her mother's arms right now. "All the animals are a lot calmer than Sadie, I promise. She's just excited to have friends over." Mezoti still had her hesitations. "Come on, Mezoti, it'll be fun." Kathryn tilted her head towards the door. She looked so eager to have Mezoti come help her, and Mezoti didn't want to be disrespectful to her, not after she opened up her home to them so unexpectedly.

"Very well," she finally relented as she slid off the bed and trailed after the Admiral. She didn't go because she wanted to but instead because she didn't want to be rude to the Admiral, who seemed so eager to spend time with her. It would be rude to turn her down.

Once they got outside, Kathryn put Sadie down. The puppy bounced up and down several times before running out to the barn to explore. Mezoti fell into step next to Kathryn as they walked at a slower pace over the bright green grass. The landscape here was gorgeous; green rolling hills surrounded the property, rising up out of the ground to meet the clear blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. A gentle breeze rippled through the trees scattered across the property, rustling the leaves and cooling off the pair as the bright sun beat down overhead. Kathryn could tell that it was going to be another warm, beautiful day.

As they walked out to the barn, Mezoti couldn't help but notice how secluded the property was. She always assumed that all of America was like San Francisco, full of apartment buildings and houses built practically on top of each other. This was entirely different, there was so much space. She couldn't even see the houses that belonged to any of the Admiral's neighbors, which meant that had to be some distance away.

"Do you ever get lonely out here?" she blurted out as they neared the barn.

"Sometimes," Kathryn replied. "I usually go to Starfleet Headquarters a few days a week, and I have a young man who works on the farm, helping me with the animals a few days a week, so I'm not completely alone."

"It still sounds lonely." They stopped in front of the barn door.

"I also have the animals to keep me company." She slid open the heavy barn door, revealing the expansive interior and all the animals who called the barn home. Without missing a beat, she lead Mezoti inside, escaping the bright sunlight that washed over them.

At first glance, the barn had an old fashioned quality about it, with exposed beams crisscrossing the high ceiling and hewn wood partitions separating the animals so each had its own private area to enjoy. Upon closer inspection, however, Mezoti noted several twenty-fourth century upgrades to the structure, including a computer console built into the wall immediately to the right of the expansive doorway. She looked at it up close and saw that it was environmental control that managed the interior temperature of the barn and circulating the air to ensure the stench didn't get too overwhelming. There was a musty smell mixed with a slight underlying hint of animal excrement, although it wasn't as bad as it could be, which told her that the environmental controls were working properly.

Mezoti had no idea what she really expected in the barn, but it wasn't this. It was quite pleasant, if you liked animals that is. Kathryn led along the wide aisle littered with loose hay strewn across the floor that bisected the barn. On either side were gates that opened up to the pens for the animals. Most of them were empty. As they walked along the barn, a large head came down over the gate, hovering right over Mezoti and causing her to jump and cry out as she stumbled backwards. Wide-eyed, Kathryn spun around to see what was wrong. As soon as she saw what was happening, she couldn't help but laugh.

"It's just my horse, Lacy," she assured as she walked over to the animal. It was a beautiful animal, solid brown with a white line running along its long face between its eyes until it flared out at its nose. "She's perfectly harmless." To make her point, Kathryn stroked the animal's muzzle affectionately. At first, she'd been hesitant about taking on all the responsibility that came with a horse, but she quickly found that she loved the animal. Yes, she required a significant amount of work, but the mare was a big softy who only wanted love. Unconvinced, Mezoti hung back, ready to bolt at any moment. She didn't trust such a large, imposing animal. "Here." Kathryn reached into a canvas bag hanging from a nail in a beam and produced a sugar cube. As soon as she saw the sugar cube, Lacy's ears perked up, and she leaned forward in an attempt to get the delicious treat. "Hold out your hand flat. She won't hurt you."

"Are you sure?" To make her point, Kathryn held out her hand perfectly flat with the sugar cube in the middle of her palm towards Lacy, who happily closed her lips around the small white treat. When Kathryn pulled her hand away, the sugar cube was gone. She held out her hand for Mezoti to examine, proving that the horse hadn't harmed her.

"You want to give her a treat too?" Normally Kathryn refrained from giving Lacy two treats one right after the other, but she could make an exception for Mezoti.

"Okay," she relented. Kathryn retrieved another sugar cube and handed it over. She stood behind the child and flattened her hand. Mezoti seemed reluctant as she held out her hand towards Lacy. The horse's velvet soft lips tickled her skin as she delicately closed her teeth around the sugar cube, instantly consuming it. A giggle slipped past Mezoti's lips as she instinctively stroked Lacy's nose. "Do you ever ride her?" she asked, clearly warming up to the gentle giant.

"Not as often as I'd like to. Maybe I'll take you riding while you're here." Just a few moments ago, Mezoti had been utterly terrified of the creature, but now her brown eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of being allowed to ride Lacy.

"Really?"

"If your mom says it's okay." Mezoti's face fell. She had serious doubts that her mother would let her ride a horse; she was incredibly protective of her. If anyone could talk her mother into it, though, she was sure it could be the Admiral, which gave Mezoti a little bit of hope that she would be able to ride Lacy while she was here. It certainly seemed exciting.

After fawning over Lacy, Kathryn grabbed a basket from the corner of the barn and took Mezoti out behind the barn to the chicken coop. She'd been so wrapped up in preparing for her guests that she forgot to retrieve this morning's eggs. The fat chickens wandered aimlessly around their fenced in yard surrounding a wooden structure built up on stilts with a ramp leading inside. The structure was far bigger than Mezoti expected: approximately five meters across and two meters deep.

"I thought you only had twelve chickens," Mezoti commented.

"I do, but they need a lot of space." Kathryn entered the fenced in yard. Mezoti hesitated for a moment but followed after her, making sure to close the gate behind her so none of the birds escaped. Accustomed to human intruders, the chickens paid the visitors no mind as they wandered around, clucking loudly and minding their own business. Mezoti skirted the birds and followed after Kathryn, who opened a hatch on the side of the chicken coop and reached inside to retrieve the eggs. She pulled out about half a dozen eggs and carefully deposited them in the basket. Mezoti stood next to her, carefully scrutinizing everything she did with eager curiosity.

"Wouldn't it be more efficient to simply replicate your eggs?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side. Kathryn closed the hatch and picked up the basket.

"It would be, but they don't taste the same. I can tell the difference between a replicated egg and a natural one." They headed out of the fenced in yard to where Sadie was waiting for them impatiently. Kathryn tried to keep the dog away from the chickens so she didn't scare them.

"No you can't!" Mezoti scoffed in disbelief. There was no way she could tell the difference, all food tasted the same, it didn't matter where it came from.

"Of course I can," Kathryn stated with a confident nod of her head as she nudged Sadie back with her foot so they could exit the yard and close the gate behind them.. "And I'll prove it to you." She nodded towards the house. "Come on, let's go." Mezoti still had her reservations, not that she was calling the Admiral a liar, but it just seemed too ridiculous to believe.

Playful voices and laughter caught Chakotay's attention as he sat in the living room, making himself right at home, just like he usually did whenever he visited Kathryn. He glanced up from his book as he sat on one of the couches on opposite sides of a squat yet sturdy coffee table littered with a handful of books scattered around a dark blue vase full of wildflowers. Above his head in the center of the living room dangled a metal circular chandelier with a dozen fake candles equally spaced from the exposed beams running parallel along the ceiling. Mezoti and Kathryn entered the living room and walked into the kitchen, which flowed into the living room courtesy of the open floor plan.

"What are you two up to?" he asked

"The Admiral says that she can tell the difference between a replicated egg and a natural one," Mezoti announced. "So she's going to prove it to me." This was something Chakotay had to see with his own eyes. He deposited his book on the end table next to him and followed the pair into the kitchen.

The kitchen was decorated to match the rest of the house, with white cabinets lining the walls, some with glass fronts to allow a peek into the contents but mostly with solid wood panels. A large countertop that contained the sink and stove, along with more cabinets underneath for storage. Above the island in the middle of the kitchen hung a wide collection of pots and pans, at hand at a moment's notice. The kitchen certainly was impressive, something most chefs would gladly welcome and love, which Chakotay found ironic given Kathryn's inability to prepare even the simplest of meals.

Kathryn replicated an egg in the replicator along the wall and then grabbed two identical glasses from the cabinet. She assembled the supplies, along with one of the eggs from the basket. Amused, Chakotay leaned against the counter with his arms folded across his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Okay, Mezoti, here's what you do: crack an egg in each glass, but don't tell me which one is in each glass. I'll eat each one and tell you which one is the replicated egg," Kathryn explained.

"Wait, you're going to eat them raw?" Mezoti blurted out in disbelief. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"I'll be fine, I promise." Kathryn slid the eggs towards Mezoti and turned her back, giving the child the chance to follow through with her directions. Careful not to make a mess, she cracked each egg and poured them into separate glasses. She glanced over at Chakotay, who was keeping track of which egg was in which glass as well.

"Okay, Admiral, I'm ready." Mezoti puffed out her chest with pride as she pushed both glasses across the counter. Kathryn picked up one of the glasses and drank its entire contents in one gulp, allowing the slimey yolk to slide down her throat unbroken. She put the glass down and paused for a few seconds to think before picking up the other glass and repeating the process. When she put down the glass and carefully thought it over. At first blush, both eggs tasted similar, which spoke volumes about the replicator's ability to produce high quality food, but she could tell the difference. One of the eggs tasted fresher, more real than the other. Eager to see if the Admiral really could tell the difference between the two eggs, Mezoti leaned across the counter and bounced up and down excitedly.

Before Kathryn could come clean and point out which egg was the replicated one, Seven appeared in the kitchen and asked, "What's going on?" With a smile plastered across her face, Mezoti spun around. She'd been so caught up in trying to trick the Admiral that she didn't hear her mother join them.

"The Admiral is trying to tell the difference between a replicated egg and a non-replicated egg," she announced. She spun back around to face Kathryn. "Do you know which egg was replicated?" Kathryn nodded slowly.

"The first one," she replied. She sounded unsure about herself, it had been a while since she'd done this little trick, so she hoped she was right, although she knew Mezoti would find it just as entertaining to prove her wrong. Mezoti had been so confident that she could trick the Admiral, and her face fell when she realized that the Admiral was correct.

"How can you tell the difference? They look exactly the same." Mezoti couldn't believe it. It could have been a lucky guess, she had a fifty-fifty shot of getting it correct.

"One has a slightly synthetic taste to it."

"Can I try?" Wide-eyed with excitement, Mezoti turned to her mother, who looked less than amused at the notion.

"Absolutely not," Seven snapped firmly. "Consuming raw eggs can be dangerous to your health. If the Admiral wants to take such a risk, that is her prerogative, but I will not let you." Mezoti pouted. She thought that her request was perfectly reasonable, and there was no reason for her mother to say no. A little raw egg never hurt anyone.

That evening, Kathryn hustled around the kitchen, assembling the ingredients necessary to make dinner for her guests. With an amused, boyish smirk on his face, Chakotay slid onto one of the bar stools across the island from her. He always thought it was hilarious when Kathryn cooked; she tried to make it look like she knew what she was doing, but he knew that it was all a facade.

"You're going to cook dinner for us?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow. Kathryn pursed her lips and scowled at him as she slammed a pot down on the counter.

"You haven't even been here for twelve hours, and you're already making fun of my cooking?" she teased.

"I'm just worried, I don't want Mezoti eating anything that could be dangerous."

"But your cooking is fine?"

"Chakotay and I make dinner every night," Mezoti proudly chirped as she skipped into the kitchen and skidded to a stop next to Kathryn.

"Do you want to help me?" Kathryn asked as she ran the tomatoes and peas she brought in from her small garden under the running water in the sink to clean off any remaining dirt.

"Trust me, Zoti, Kathryn needs all the help she can get." Unamused, Kathryn flicked water in Chakotay's direction, causing him to laugh and duck out of the way, stumbling to the living room where Seven was ignoring the playfulness and reading a report on her PADD. Kathryn rolled her eyes and went back to rinsing off the vegetables before putting them back on the countertop

"What do you say, Mezoti? Are you going to help me out?"

"Okay." Mezoti loved cooking dinner every night with Chakotay, and she was more than happy to show off the skills she'd learned to the Admiral. She couldn't be as terrible a cook as Chakotay insisted, but if she was, then Mezoti was more than happy to take over and prepare a delicious meal for all four of them.

With dinner in the capable hands of Mezoti, and the less than capable hands of Kathryn, Chakotay flung himself down on the couch next to Seven and draped his arm along the piece of furniture behind her. She instinctively leaned against him without bothering to look up from her PADD. Curious to see what she was so enthralled with, he leaned over and kissed her shoulder softly, which gave him the perfect view of her screen. She was reading over formulas for Pathfinder, still desperately looking for a way to stabilize the dilithium at high speeds, hence making transwarp travel possible.

"Sweetheart, you're on vacation, you should be relaxing, not working." Sighing, she put down the PADD.

"I am aware I am on vacation, but I am also attempting to maximize my down time. This is important, Chakotay, and we have not found a suitable solution"

"I thought you didn't want to return to the Delta Quadrant."

"I still have many reservations, but I am close to figuring this out." He could hear the frustration in her voice. Usually things came easy to her, but this was the ultimate challenge, something that she had been working on for a while now and was still no closer to a solution than the day she started. Some of the greatest minds at Starfleet were working on it as well, all without any success.

"Let me help you." Although she seriously doubted that Chakotay would be able to figure it out, Seven picked up her PADD and tilted it towards him, giving him a better view of the information on the screen. Maybe he would be able to provide some sort of insight into this puzzle that she'd previously overlooked.

It didn't take long for Mezoti to completely take charge in the kitchen and start calling all the shots. At this point, cooking dinner had become second nature to her, so she had no problem at all with preparing the meal. She worked on instinct as she directed Kathryn to chop the vegetables and look over the food cooking on the stove.

"Make sure you don't let the vegetables burn, Admiral" she instructed as she poured the chopped up tomatoes into the pan on the stove with the rest of the food, which was a combination of naturally grown vegetables and replicated ones.

"Yes, Ma'am." It didn't even dawn on Mezoti that she was giving orders to an adult, and an Admiral at that; she was more focused on preparing her food adequately. Kathryn kept a close eye on the food. She knew if she messed this up, Chakotay would never let her hear the end of it. "You know, Mezoti, you don't have to call me 'Admiral'." With a curious and confused look on her face, Mezoti turned around to face Kathryn.

"Mama says that I have to call you Admiral because that is what you are."

"That's true, but I'm also a friend. You can just call me 'Kathryn.'" Mezoti scrunched up her face and shook her head. There was no way she was comfortable with that, even her mother didn't call her Kathryn.

"But your title is Admiral." Kathryn stopped to think. She didn't want to ask Mezoti to do anything she wasn't comfortable with, but she didn't want Mezoti to stick to such formalities, they weren't necessary here. "That's true...how about you call me Admiral Kathryn?" With any luck, she'd eventually get comfortable enough to refer to her as just Kathryn, which was her ultimate goal. Mezoti stopped cutting up the last of the vegetables to think over the suggestion. Eventually, she nodded slowly.

"Okay, Admiral Kathryn." It was a reasonable enough compromise that should also make her mother happy; she was still referring to her as Admiral, so technically she was still following her directions. It was the perfect solution. Besides, it had been the Admiral's idea, so her mother couldn't get mad at her for doing it.

Chakotay and Seven were so wrapped up in pouring over the information on her PADD that they didn't realize how much time had passed. Despite the amount of time they spent meticulously looking over every detail of the equations and simulations, they were no closer to finding a solution. It was there, both of them knew that, the only problem was figuring it and, most importantly, making sure it was correct. It was certainly a frustrating situation, but he felt confident that if there was any person who could solve this problem and get the Federation transwarp technology, it would be Seven.

When Chakotay first offered to help, Seven was sceptical for some reason. Once she started working with him, however, she found that she quite enjoyed it, even if it was in such an informal setting. She was analytical, she always saw things at face value. Chakotay, on the other hand, had a different way at looking at things. Just like B'Elanna, he thought outside the box and found solutions in the most unlikely of ways. Seven couldn't help but wonder if it came from their time in the Maquis, when they were forced to improvise and find solutions in the most unlikely of places. When it came to finding a way to stabilize dilithium, however, he was just as stuck as she was.

The couple was so wrapped up in their work that they didn't hear the clatter of dishes as Mezoti set the table and Kathryn put the finishing touches on the meal they'd prepared together. Once she put the last glass in its spot at the table between the kitchen and living room, Mezoti sauntered over to her parents and leaned over the back of the couch, wedging her head between Seven and Chakotay.

"Dinner's ready," she announced proudly. She looked at the PADD but couldn't make sense of any of the equations on the screen. In all honesty, it looked like a foreign language to her.

"It smells delicious," Chakotay said with a smile as Seven turned off the PADD, putting an end to her work for the time being, not that she was making much progress anyway.

"What have you prepared for tonight?" Seven asked as she got to her feet.

"Penne seasoned with peas, tomatoes and herbs," Mezoti replied. She'd found the recipe in the computer database and modified it slightly, so she had no idea how it would turn it out; she hoped it tasted good.

Chakotay felt a certain sense of pride swell up inside of him as he tried the food prepared by Mezoti and Kathryn. He'd had Kathryn's cooking more times than he could count, and this was nothing like her cooking. It tasted just as delicious as it smelled. The vegetables and pasta were perfectly complimented by the coating of herbs brought in from the small garden out back and the olive oil coating them. Chakotay felt proud of Mezoti, she'd obviously put significant effort into the meal, and it showed. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago he'd started teaching her to cook, and now she was coming up with her own meals. With any luck, she'd soon be capable of preparing meals without his supervision, which would give him a chance to relax in the evening after work. He'd feel bad about it, but Mezoti seemed to enjoy cooking, so he didn't feel that bad.

Kathryn had to admit that this food was amazing, far better than anything she could have prepared; she couldn't even handle using the replicator most nights, and this nine year old girl came in and taught her how to prepare a wonderful meal. She'd made a mental note of how the meal was prepared, but she doubted she would be able to recreate the meal on her own without ruining it somehow.

"Mezoti, you are a wonderful chef," she gushed. "This is the probably the best meal ever served at this table."

"I can second that," Chakotay teased, causing Kathryn to give him one of her signature unamused looks, which he promptly ignored. He wouldn't give Kathryn such a hard time if it wasn't so easy. Her cooking was awful, something he could personally attest to, but, with the help of Mezoti, the food she'd prepared actually tasted edible.

 **Author's Note:** Once again, I'm so sorry about the delay in updating! My life has basically become a chaotic balancing act with work, grad school and my boyfriend, but he's on a business trip for a week, so that means I have time to revise and update. Please leave a review, and I'll do better to update sooner in the future!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Grumbling incoherently under her breath, Seven rolled over and attempted to push Chakotay away. Usually his habit of sleeping in the middle of the bed didn't bother her, as they had more than enough room in their king sized bed. At the Admiral's farmhouse, however, they were crammed into a double bed, which was significantly smaller. As a result, they were practically on top of each other, which drove Seven crazy; she needed some space from the looming frame that radiated unbearable heat all night long. When she first moved in, Seven couldn't imagine needing such a large bed, but now she could see the benefits. In her attempts to make herself more comfortable, she inadvertently elbowed Chakotay in the stomach, causing him to groan and roll over in protest. At least Mezoti hadn't decided to make one of her late night appearances at their bedside; there was no room for her at all.

Frustration continued to build up inside of Seven as she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling with her right arm flung over her head. Chakotay rolled over and settled with his head on her shoulder; at least one of them was able to get a good night's sleep. She wrapped her right arm around him, mindlessly drawing small circles on his upper arm while she attempted to relax and hopefully fall back asleep for a few more hours.

Suddenly, an idea hit Seven. Her mind raced at warp speed as equations and algorithms danced in her mind. They all seemed to make sense, but she couldn't be sure until she plugged them into her computer. She jumped out of bed, sending Chakotay tumbling across her side of the bed. He snored and remained fast asleep; Seven was convinced he could sleep through an invasion by the Borg. Too excited to care if she woke him, Seven snatched up her bag that held her computer and various PADDs. She had to plug these algorithms into the computer and start running simulations, this was the first promising lead she'd come across since she started working on Pathfinder.

Shadows danced across the living room as Seven crept downstairs so she could work without disturbing anyone upstairs. She sat at the kitchen table, opened her computer and began to work, typing in the algorithm that came to her in the midst of her insomnia. It was all so simple, she had no idea why she hadn't thought of it earlier. She'd been looking for more complex solutions, which caused her to overlook the most simple of solutions. If they adjusted the dilithium matrix to rotate at a higher frequency based on the algorithm that came to her, she would be able to bring the entire system in sync with the Borg transwarp coils, hence stabilizing the dilithium and making transwarp travel possible. It was all hypothetical, but Seven couldn't help but feel confident as she started typing the algorithm into her computer.

The original algorithm that Seven thought of proved unsuccessful when run through simulations on the computer, forcing her to spend the rest of the night making modifications to it. This had to work, it was the only solution she'd come up with, and it appeared to work, to an extent. Whenever she ran a simulation, everything seemed to go well, and then it all fell apart at the last moment, forcing her back to square one. It was frustrating work, but she was undeterred, she was a woman on a mission.

Yawning and still half asleep, Kathryn trudged downstairs with Sadie trailing dutifully behind her, waiting eagerly to be let outside. When she got to the bottom of the steps, she opened the front door, which instantly sent the dog flying outside, bounding across the grass that glistened with early morning dew. A haze danced across the rolling hills around the farm, adding to the peacefulness. This was one of the reasons she loved living out here, it was so relaxing, a wonderful break from the chaos of the city and Starfleet Headquarters. Having done her business, Sadie bounced back into the house, her nails scratching against the hardwood floors as she raced down the hall to the kitchen where she knew breakfast would be waiting for her. Shaking her head, Kathryn closed the front door and followed after her.

When Kathryn entered the kitchen, she was surprised to find Seven sitting at the table pouring over about half a dozen PADDs and her computer. The young woman wore what appeared to be one of Chakotay's undershirts and a pair of shorts with her blonde hair tumbling past her shoulders, not tied back in her typical French twist. Accustomed to seeing her in her bodysuits or occasionally an elegant dress of some sort, she was surprised to see her dressed so casually in her pajamas. So much for her taking a vacation, she never seemed to take a break.

"Good morning," Kathryn greeted sleepily as she replicated Sadie a bowl of food. The puppy jumped up and down excitedly with all four paws in the air and her ears flapping, making her look ridiculous. Seven glanced up. She'd been so wrapped up in her work that she didn't even realize it was morning. With a lost expression on her face, she looked around. "How long have you been up?"

"I was unaware it was morning," she confessed. Kathryn replicated herself a cup of coffee and sat next to Seven, trying to catch a glimpse of what she was working on.

"What has you so enthralled?" Seven turned the computer to face her friend. It was a jumble of numbers and symbols that she didn't recognize. Her brow furrowed, and she leaned forward in an attempt to make better sense of it. Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at Seven and gasped, "It's an algorithm for the warp matrix, isn't it?"

"That is correct. Once I perfect the algorithm, it will rotate the frequency of the matrix, bringing it in line with the Borg transwarp coils-"

"Which would stabilize the dilithium and allow for long term transwarp travel," Kathryn interrupted. It was amazing. If Seven perfected her algorithm, which she had no doubt she would do, then transwarp travel would become possible. It was amazing; it was history in the making, and it was happening right here in her kitchen. "Would you like some help?"

"I would gladly welcome your assistance." Kathryn took a sip of her coffee, she was going to need as much coffee as possible to wake her up. When she came downstairs this morning, she had no idea she'd be jumping right into warp theory and physics.

A few hours later, when Chakotay emerged in the kitchen with a tired expression etched across his worn face, he found Kathryn and Seven pouring over a computer and PADDs at the table while Mezoti curled up on the couch, completely enthralled by one of her beloved books.

"Morning, Zoti," he yawned as he leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the top of her head. Temporarily distracted from her reading, she glanced up.

"Good morning," she echoed. He glanced over at the kitchen table.

"What are they working on?" She shrugged.

"I don't know, but they have been working on it since before I woke up approximately forty-five minutes ago." Chakotay his his surprise. It must be something pretty important if it had the attention of both women like that, and they hadn't been paying attention to Mezoti. He ran his hand over Mezoti's hair before heading over to the kitchen to see what was going on.

Seven and Kathryn were so absorbed with their work that they didn't notice that Chakotay was awake until he stood directly over them. Seven glanced up at him, prompting him to lean over and kiss her softly. A warm blush crept across her cheeks as she turned away, averting her eyes from Kathryn's amused gaze. It was one thing for them to exchange a kiss like that in the privacy of their room, but it was another to be so blatant with their affection in front of the Admiral of all people. In this case, modesty was essential to Seven.

"Good morning," he whispered against her lips as he put his large hands on her shoulders.

"Good morning." She turned her attention back to the computer; they were close now, and she didn't want to stop and risk losing it forever, not when she'd come this far already.

"What are you working on?" Chakotay tried to make sense of the information on the computer, but the equations and algorithms were completely unfamiliar to him.

"Seven thinks she's found a way to stabilize dilithium at transwarp speeds," Kathryn replied. Intrigued, Chakotay slid into the seat next to Seven and peered at the computer screen.

"How?" he asked in surprise. Seven glanced over at Mezoti, who appeared to be reading her book, but she knew her daughter well enough to know that she was listening in on their conversation.

"It is a complex matter, and I am unsure if it will work. I will need to run several more in-depth simulations upon our return to Starfleet Headquarters." Chakotay could hear the disappointment in her voice. Here she was, on the cusp of a fantastic scientific advance, and she was unable to do anything about it right now.

"Go back to San Francisco," he insisted in a low voice. Her eyes narrowed with frustration as she glared at him. The very notion was ridiculous; they were here to spend time as a family, not for her to run off within twenty-four hours of arriving. This algorithm, once perfected, could wait.

"I can't," she hissed angrily, making sure to keep her voice down so Mezoti didn't overhear their private conversation. "We are supposed to spend time as a family, what message would I be sending Mezoti if I left so shortly after our arrival?"

"I'm sure she'd understand," Kathryn interjected as she put a reassuring hand on Seven's arm. "Plus, if you left now, you can be back in time for dinner."

"Although if Kathryn's cooking, I'd eat at Headquarters." Kathryn rolled her eyes. Her cooking wasn't _that_ bad, and she'd recruit Mezoti to help her cook again tonight. Seven still didn't look convinced, she needed to show Mezoti that she had her undivided attention while they recovered from everything that happened. "Sweetheart, I think you should go. It's just one day. Kathryn and I will keep Mezoti so busy that she won't even know she's gone."

"I don't want Mezoti to think that I am putting my work above her. She is the most important thing in my life."

"She knows that, and she'd understand." He glanced over his shoulder at Mezoti, who was doing a pretty good job at pretending to read, but he could see that her eyes were staring at the same spot on the page, telling him that she was listening in on their conversation. "Zoti, stop pretending to read and come here," he called. Mezoti's heart fluttered anxiously in her chest. She hadn't meant to listen in on their conversation, but she kept hearing her name come up and wanted to know what was going on. Fearing she was going to be reprimanded for eavesdropping, Mezoti put her book to the side and trudged into the kitchen where she stood between her mother and Chakotay. He closed the computer so she couldn't see what was on the screen; she'd already shown a knack for getting her hands on classified information.

"Mezoti, I want you to answer honestly," Seven started. "If I were to leave for the day to take care of some issues at Starfleet, would you be upset?" Mezoti stopped to think. They'd just gotten here, and she thought they were all going to spend time here together, not that her mother would leave their second day here. It must be pretty important for her to leave, she could see the conflict in her mother's light blue eyes.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked in a small, disappointed voice.

"I will return this evening, and then you will have my undivided attention," Seven replied. Mezoti folded her hands over her mother's shoulder and leaned against her, prompting Seven to wrap her arm around her waist.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Then I'm fine with you returning to San Francisco for the day." Mezoti was a little upset that her mother was leaving, but she still had Chakotay and Admiral Kathryn here; they would be able to find something to do today that would keep them entertained without her mother. Just a few hours wouldn't be the end of the world. Besides, she knew that her work was important, and whatever came up must be even more important if she wanted to return to San Francisco so quickly.

B'Elanna pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. She could feel pressure building up behind her eyes and knew it was from stress; it was only a matter of time until she had a full fledged headache. When she and Harry agreed to help cover Seven's classes for the rest of the week, she hadn't entirely thought things through. She was more than happy to help Seven and Chakotay, especially during such a stressful time, but it meant that they were down a person in Pathfinder, two people if you counted Seven. There were plenty of others around to help, but B'Elanna found them somewhat obnoxious and not as easy to work with.

Tom could see the frustration rising in his wife. It was surprisingly subtle for someone who was half-Klingon, the way she clenched her jaw as she looked over the computer with Merkata. He was starting to feel frustrated as well, but he was doing a slightly better job at hiding his annoyance.

"What you're suggesting is impossible," Merkata pointed out, causing B'Elanna to roll her eyes. "It's not even worth mentioning because you're talking about using a type of dilithium that isn't even available in this quadrant."

"I know that," B'Elanna said through clenched teeth. Tom could tell that she was dangerously close to completely snapping, and then there was no way he would be able to hold her back. "I suggested that we look at the information about the dilithium we used in the Delta Quadrant to see if we can make modifications to the dilithium we have so we can stabilize it at higher speeds."

"How can you be sure it'll work?" Merkata asked.

"I can't, but do you have any better suggestions right now?" This was absolutely ridiculous. B'Elanna had more experience than just about anyone at modifying dilithium, thanks to her time in the Delta Quadrant, which was why she had been selected for Pathfinder, and she wasn't going to bossed around by this low-level officer who thought she was better than her. Merkata crossed her arms over her chest and glared at B'Elanna with her startling green eyes. She didn't have any other suggestions but she didn't dare admit that aloud.

The door to the expansive lab opened, and Seven breezed inside, clutching her bag containing her computer and PADDs in her hand. B'Elanna and Merkata were too busy arguing to notice, and everyone else was completely absorbed by their work. Tom, on the other hand, was trying to think of an excuse to get out of here, so he perked up when the door opened, thinking it was someone here to summon him for another menial task.

"Seven?" he exclaimed as he got to his feet, instantly drawing the attention of B'Elanna and putting an end to her bickering with Merkata.

"Seven, is everything alright?" B'Elanna asked. "I thought you and Chakotay weren't going to be back for a few days."

"Everything is fine." She produced a PADD from her bag and handed it over to B'Elanna. "I believe I have found a way to stabilize dilithium at transwarp speeds." Intrigued, B'Elanna caught Tom's eye for a moment before looking over the information on the PADD. The algorithm created was incredibly complicated, one of the most complex she'd ever seen; she took a seat on a nearby stool and carefully scrutinized every detail while Seven waited calmly with her arms folded behind her back. She had her typical air of confidence about her; she knew that her work would stand up to B'Elanna's scrutiny, she wouldn't have brought it to her otherwise.

The more she read over the algorithm, the more it made sense to B'Elanna, although it took reading over it several times to make sense of all the information. By using it to rotate the frequency of the warp matrix, they should be able to match it with the Borg transwarp coils, which should allow them to achieve transwarp flight. As she wrapped up reading, she nodded slowly and handed the PADD back to Seven.

"I think you've done it," she finally announced with a hint of undeniable pride in her voice. "Have you run simulations?"

"I ran some at the Admiral's farm, but I was limited in what I could do there, which is why Chakotay encouraged me to come back for the day. This is the closest we have ever come to being successful."

"Do you think it'll work?" Merkata interjected eagerly, her eyes sparkling with the possibility of finally getting what they all had been working so hard on for nearly a year.

"We'll need to run more concrete simulations and then try it out on the holodeck, but it looks promising," B'Elanna replied. Seven felt confident in her work, but she knew simulations, both on the computer and on the holodeck were necessary, traveling at transwarp speeds was incredibly dangerous. Although she looked outwardly calm, inside, her chest swelled with pride. This was exactly what she'd been hoping for; she'd finally proven her worth as more than a simple drone to Starfleet.

With her PADD clutched in her hand, Seven bent over a computer against the far wall of the Pathfinder lab and carefully inputted the algorithm she created. The algorithm was complex, rendering the process slow and tedious, as the smallest mistake could ruin everything. She checked and double checked each number and symbol with a more scrutinizing eye than she normally did. B'Elanna hovered over her right shoulder, checking each keystroke, although Seven was the one who knew the algorithm better, as she was the one who created it.

"Were my students adequately behaved yesterday?" Seven asked without looking up from her work as she continued to input data into the computer. B'Elanna shrugged.

"They spent half the time asking me questions about Unimatrix Zero," she replied.

"I should have warned you, they are incredibly inquisitive. I have to limit their questions; they can be an inefficient use of time."

"Not necessarily, questions give us a chance to see what they already know and what they want to know about," B'Elanna pointed out. Seven finished entering the algorithm and turned around to face her.

"I have completed entering the algorithm. We should start running simulations immediately, as I will not be able to stay late tonight." It wasn't a long journey back to Indiana from San Francisco, but she promised Mezoti she'd be back before dinner, and she needed to keep her word.

Mezoti shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Yesterday this seemed like a good idea; even half an hour ago this seemed like a good idea. Now that her time had come, however, she was having countless doubts. Lacy towered over her, patiently waiting for someone to hop up on her saddle. Unafraid of the large beast, Chakotay rubbed her long nose affectionately.

"Zoti, you don't have to do this," he informed her in his usual comforting tone.

"I know, but I want to...I think."

"If you're unsure, Mezoti, I'll just walk Lacy around the paddock a few times," Kathryn said. "She won't mind at all." Mezoti turned to face the Admiral.

"You're sure she doesn't mind me on her back?" Kathryn's gaze softened. It was hard to turn down those large, brown eyes. She could see the apprehension in them, but she could also see a hint of excitement at trying something new and adventurous.

"Of course she doesn't; you're so tiny, she won't even notice you're there." Mezoti still felt apprehensive as she climbed up the two large steps between her and Lacy. Her hand tremble slightly as she firmly grasped Chakotay's large hand. Kathryn walked around the other side of the animal. "Okay, Mezoti, put your left foot in the stirrup and swing your right leg over her back." Mezoti glanced over at Chakotay as she put her foot in the stirrup. In an attempt to help, he grabbed her by the waist as she struggled to kick her right leg over Lacy's back.

"I don't know what I'm doing!" she cried anxiously as she tried to straighten herself out, nearly sliding off Lacy's back in the process. Chakotay kept a tight grip on her, pushing her up onto her back.

"You're doing great, sweetheart," Kathryn assured from the other side of Lacy. Mezoti swung her right leg, blindly searching for the stirrup. "Mezoti, Mezoti, stop kicking." She grabbed a hold of her scrawny leg and shoved it into the stirrup, forcing the child to sit upright. Chakotay put a large hand on her thigh, both to reassure her that she was alright but also to give him some peace of mind. If something were to happen to Mezoti, Seven would undoubtedly kill him.

"See, this isn't so bad," he said with a smile. Mezoti clung to the saddlehorn with both hands for dear life.

"It's really high up," she commented warily as she eyed the seemingly large distance between her and the ground, causing Chakotay to chuckle.

"Horses are tall." Kathryn took a hold of the reigns.

"Okay, Mezoti, I'm going to start walking Lacy around the paddock. Let me know if you need a break."

"Will you walk with me?" Mezoti asked Chakotay. There was no way he could turn her down, not when she looked so apprehensive still. He'd do anything for her, especially if it helped her feel safer with this new adventure.

"Of course." It wasn't that Mezoti didn't trust Admiral Kathryn to keep her safe, but she was all the way in front of Lacy; if something were to happen, she wouldn't be right at her side to help her. At least Chakotay would be able to catch her if she fell.

Lacy lurched forward, causing Mezoti to squeal in distress and cling to the saddlehorn for dear life while her eyes shot back and forth wildly. Chakotay gave her leg a reassuring squeeze. He hoped she liked this, because he'd been the one to pressure her into facing her fears and giving horseback riding a shot.

"You're doing great, Zoti."

"You're sure I won't fall?"

"I promise you, you won't fall. Kathryn and I are right here. Would we put you in danger?" He had an excellent point there, which helped her to relax a little bit. She knew there was no way they'd let anything happen to her.

Sometime during the third lap around the small paddock, Mezoti began to visibly relax. Her death grip on the saddlehorn loosened to little more than a firm grip meant to keep her upright and prevent her from falling. Chakotay patiently walked laps around the paddock, glued to her side, not only for her reassurance but his as well. Even though he could see that she was relaxing, he still needed to be by her side, just in case. Slowly, however, he began to distance himself from her, ignoring his own apprehensions so she could enjoy herself. This also gave him a chance to get a better look at her. A smile of undeniable joy spread across her face as she clung tightly to the saddlehorn. All the problems getting her up onto the saddle had been worth it now that she was enjoying herself. She looked just like every other little girl, without a care in the world, as it should be.

Excitement rippled through the Pathfinder lab. Everyone's eyes were glued to the large computer screen that took up nearly half of the far wall. After running a handful of simulations on one of the smaller computers, B'Elanna and Seven transferred it to the main computer, projecting the simulations onto the screen for all to see. Just like the rest of the simulations, this one was successful, hinting that the algorithm would be able to stabilize dilithium in reality. They were so confident in its success that Tom even summoned his father, who entered the lab with his head held high like he owned the place, not that he expected anything less from the Admiral.

"Report," Admiral Paris barked. He'd been in an important meeting, and he hated being interrupted, even if it was by his son; this had better be good. He stopped short when he saw Seven standing in front of the screen with her arms folded behind her back. "I thought you were on personal leave."

"I returned," Seven explained in her usual calm voice.

"You should be glad she came back," B'Elanna interjected. She had zero patience for her father-in-law and his holier-than-thou personality. It was easy to see why the relationship between him and Tom were strained, although she knew they were working on repairing it. Right now, however, she didn't want to deal with his little personality quirks. "Because she's come up with a way to stabilize dilithium. We've been running simulations all morning, and it looks like it's going to work."

"You're telling me you found a way to stabilize dilithium at transwarp speeds?" He sounded understandably skeptical. "How?"

"Last night I wrote an algorithm to rotate the warp matrix, which will allow it to synchronize with the Borg transwarp coils." The Admiral still appeared less than convinced as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the numbers, letters and symbols that danced across the nearest computer screen. It made absolutely no sense to him; it might as well be written in Klingon.

"You wrote an algorithm in a night?"

"You act surprised." Seven clearly wasn't amused by the Admiral's doubts. "I wrote the algorithm, and Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay encouraged me to come in today to share it with the rest of Pathfinder. We have been running simulations all morning, all of which have proven promising." Tom had had enough of this. It was one thing for his father to give him a hard time, he expected that behavior from him, but it was another thing to treat someone as intelligent and well-deserving as Seven. The woman was absolutely brilliant and had cut her time with her family short to share this discovery with them. If anything, it caused him to respect her even more than he already did, something he didn't think was possible.

"Look, Dad, we've been running simulations all morning, and Seven ran at least half a dozen more at Admiral Janeway's before coming here. I wouldn't have bothered you if I didn't think it was important. The least you can do is look at the simulation results yourself." Admiral Paris glared at his son before turning his attention to the computer, pulling up all the simulation results. He'd come all the way down here, he could at least look it over and see if they were onto something here.

His feelings about Seven of Nine aside, Admiral Paris had to admit that he certainly was impressed by the simulation results. Everything looked promising, but he still had some doubts. How could someone write an algorithm overnight that seemingly solved all their problems, especially in one night? It seemed too good to be true. They'd been working on Pathfinder for months, years if you counted the time they spent working on getting _Voyager_ back to the Alpha Quadrant. Seven had only been working on it for a few weeks, and now she was acting like she had the solution. He couldn't deny the facts, such as the information staring up at him from the computer console in front of him.

"Forward all the information to my office," he ordered. "And start running simulations on the holodeck. I want a full report by the end of business today. Understood?"

There was a round of "Aye, Admiral"s and "Yes Sir"s as everyone scrambled to work. If they were going to run this on the holodeck, they had a lot of work ahead of them. Tom immediately took a seat at a nearby computer and began to modify the necessary computer program so they could start running simulations and see if Seven's algorithm really did work.

Mezoti pouted as Chakotay pulled her down off Lacy's back and put her down firmly. The girl crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and glared at her step-father. She was having fun, she had no idea why she had to stop. The day was still young, and it didn't look like Kathryn seemed to mind leading her around the paddock. Chakotay looked at her and chuckled.

"Pout all you want, Zoti, it's time for Lacy to have a break." He was completely unmoved by her behavior as Kathryn led Lacy back to the barn to be taken care of for the afternoon.

"But she didn't look tired," Mezoti whined as she threw herself down on the steps she'd used to climb up on Lacy's back.

"That's not up to you. If Admiral Kathryn said she needs a break, then she needs a break. There are plenty of other things for you to do around here." He paused and glanced over at the expansive land surrounding them. "Why don't you see what kinds of bugs you can dig up? I know Mama will want to see them when she returns." Searching for bugs didn't sound as fun as riding Lacy, at least not anymore.

"When will Mama be back?" Chakotay shrugged.

"Sometime this evening," he replied. He honestly had no idea. Running simulations at Starfleet could take hours. He hoped Seven would be back in time for dinner, but he knew that there was a chance that that wouldn't happen. It didn't bother him, he was entertaining Mezoti for the day, and if he kept her busy enough, she'd barely notice that Seven wasn't back yet.

Since _Voyager_ 's systems were already embedded with expansive Borg technology, it made sense to run the holodeck simulations on board a virtual _Voyager_. B'Elanna strutted around the virtual Engineering room as if she never left. Tom left no detail, no matter how small or insignificant, out. As she stood at her station, she almost called out for Vorik, momentarily forgetting that she was back on Earth, not actually aboard the starship, which was somewhere in spacedock. Next to her stood Seven, who was busy inputting the last of the algorithm while she monitored the warp core's status.

"When do you think we'll be able to actually use this?" Merktata questioned, her eyes shining with possibility.

"Right now we need to continue to run simulations," B'Elanna snapped in an annoyed tone. "We can't just hop on the nearest starship and jump to transwarp; it's too dangerous." As she spoke, she kept her eyes locked on her computer console in an attempt to monitor all the systems. Right now, everything looked good to go, prompting her to tap her combadge and say, "Torres to Paris."

"Paris here."

"We're all good to go in Engineering. What's your status on the bridge?"

"Waiting for your directions. You're the boss here." B'Elanna kept her sarcastic comments about being the boss in all aspects of their relationship to herself and instead engaged the warp core and watched it surge to life. This was the moment of truth.

On the virtual bridge aboard the holodeck next to the one B'Elanna occupied, Tom glanced over his shoulder. He half expected to see Chakotay and Janeway, sitting in their usual seats, leaning over the computer console that separated them, sharing one of their elusive, highly secretive whispered conversations. He always wondered what they talked about, as they always seemed to enjoy themselves, but he never had the guts to ask. Rather than speculate on the past, Tom focused on his task at the conn. He kept his eyes glued to the computer screens around him, his hands moving automatically over the consoles as if he never left _Voyager_.

"The algorithm has been entered into the computer," Seven stated bluntly over the comm system.

"Warp drive is ready to go," B'Elanna added. "Engage transwarp drive when ready."

"All systems are stable," Merkata reported from her position at operations at the rear of the bridge.

"Current speed warp 9.5," Tom stated. "Warp 9.6, 9.7, 9.8…" He trailed off as the ship surged forward. The stars that already streamed together on the view screen became even more blurred as they jumped to transwarp speeds.

"Warp core is stable," Merkata announced. Although Tom kept his eyes on the computer consoles, looking for the slightest hint of something going wrong, he could hear the smile in Merkata's voice. Tom kept his optimism at bay, he'd save the celebrating for when this was over.

Not wanting to push their luck, Tom dropped the virtual ship out of transwarp, then eventually down to impulse before stopping it altogether. Silence fell over the bridge for several seconds until Merkata and several other officers began to cheer. A smile spread across Tom's face as he leaned back in his chair and tapped his combadge.

"Paris to Torres. How's the warp core?"

"Everything's fine here," B'Elanna replied. He could hear cheering on her end as well. Everything had been successful; it looked like they had done it, they'd found a way to travel at transwarp speeds. This was history in the making.

After several minutes of celebrating, B'Elanna ended the program, leaving about fifteen members of Pathfinder's crew standing on a large holodeck, all with smiles plastered across their faces. Unable to help himself, Tom looped an arm around his wife's waist and pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. This was the most excited either of them had been since their return to the Alpha Quadrant and Miral's birth. Although she looked significantly calmer than everyone else, there was a certain pride in Seven's eyes as she stood with her head held high and her chin jutted out. Tom gave her a hug, which she awkwardly returned; physical affection wasn't her area of expertise.

"Congrats, Seven," he gushed as he clapped her on the back.

"Congratulations are hardly worth sharing right now, we still have significant work ahead of us," Seven stated bluntly. "We should continue to run simulations, including several without the safeties on." All they'd managed to do so far was add virtual modifications to a pretend starship. Yes, the algorithm worked, but it would undoubtedly be months, possibly years, before they actually achieved transwarp space travel in real life.

"That's right, we know what happens to humans when they go to warp 10," B'Elanna teased as she patted Tom playfully on the chest. Her husband looked less than amused at the memory. She swore she'd never bring it up again, but he should have known not to trust her.

"How long will that take?" Merkata asked as she joined the small group.

"It's difficult to say," Seven replied. "Once Starfleet has determined that the technology is safe to use, it will need to be implemented on a starship, which will take some time. This technology is not readily available on starships. It could be several months or even years until this is ready." Tom felt just as disappointed as Merkata looked; his father would undoubtedly want a significantly shorter timeline, anything to give Starfleet the upper hand.

Normally it was fairly easy for Chakotay to get Mezoti to bed. Today, however, things were made significantly more complicated by Seven's prolonged absence. As far as he knew, she was either still at Starfleet Headquarters or on her way back to Indiana. Regardless, she wasn't here, which was a problem, at least for Mezoti, who wouldn't stop arguing with him in his and Seven's temporary bedroom.

"She promised she'd be back by dinner, and now it's bedtime. What if something happened to her? What if her shuttle crashed? You or Admiral Kathryn should go out looking for her."

"Mezoti, Mama is fine," Chakotay sighed with a hint of annoyance in his voice. This ridiculousness had been going on for nearly twenty minutes now, and he was starting to lose his patience. "She probably got tied up at Headquarters, she has a lot of work to do."

"For Pathfinder."

"Yes, for Pathfinder, which is classified," he reminded while giving her a firm stare that immediately caused her to shrink slightly. She still felt guilty for finding out about Pathfinder, but she couldn't help it, she had been curious. "Now, here's what's going to happen: you're going to go brush your teeth, change into your pajamas and get in bed."

"Can we read for a little while in here?" Her voice sounded small and innocent, instantly making him forget how frustrated he was with her.

"If you wanted to read, you should have gotten ready for bed half an hour ago. It's already past your bedtime." This was absolutely ridiculous. It shouldn't be this difficult to get a nine year old in bed. If anything, she should have just listened to him ages ago like she normally did. This newfound defiance was driving him crazy.

"Please? Just for ten minutes?" she pouted.

"If you're not back here in five minutes, you're going straight to bed," he relented with a sense of annoyance in his voice. In the back of his mind, he could hear Seven scolding him for indulging Mezoti; he spoiled her, but that was his job. With a smile plastered across her face, Mezoti spun around and dashed to her bedroom. Five minutes wasn't a lot of time to get ready for bed, and she knew if she was even a few seconds late, Chakotay wouldn't let her read with him.

Five minutes on the dot after Chakotay gave her her orders, Mezoti burst into the bedroom he and Seven shared and flung herself down on the bed with a giggle next to him as he stretched out in the middle of the bed with his own book. Part of him was actually surprised that she made it back on time, but when she wanted to, Mezoti could move fast.

"Okay, Zoti, what are we reading tonight?" he asked as he put his book on the bedside table and wrapped an arm around her, prompting her to cuddle up against him.

" _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ ," she replied as she held out the book for him to examine. He'd read this book probably twenty-five years ago. He remembered it being a bit of a challenge, especially for someone Mezoti's age, but there was no doubt in his mind that she would be able to handle it.

"Alright, let's get started."

Mezoti opened to page one and began to read, "The year 1866 was signalized by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten." Her voice was loud and clear, never once stumbling over any of the difficult words. In fact, the words seemed second nature to her as the story unfolded.

Seven had hoped to creep unnoticed into the farmhouse, but as soon as she opened the front door, Sadie rushed down the stairs with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. Her long nails clicked against the hardwood floors. In the silence of the house, the noise seemed deafening. Matters were made worse when Sadie began to bark, the noise bouncing off the walls and echoing up the stairs to where she assumed everyone was trying to sleep.

"Cease that noise," Seven ordered as she side stepped the animal, preventing her from jumping up. Sadie didn't listen, and she continued to jump up and bark loudly. "Comply."

"She's not very good at that command," Kathryn commented as she came downstairs, still tying her bathrobe around her waist. "Sadie, come." Sadie ignored her owner and kept her attention firmly locked on Seven.

"It would appear that she is not very good at that command either," she commented dryly. Fed up with the noise, Kathryn scooped Sadie up in her arms and stroked her head affectionately. Momentarily forgetting about protecting the house from the vicious intruder, Sadie wagged her tail and threw her head back to lick Kathryn's cheek affectionately. "I apologize for my late arrival, we were running simulations and lost track of time."

"It's fine."

"Was Mezoti well behaved today?"

"Both she and Chakotay were perfect angels," Kathryn teased. Sadie began to wiggle in her arms, impatient to break free so she can go back to jumping up and down on Seven. "Did you eat? You can replicate something."

"I ate with Lieutenants Paris, Torres and Kim at Headquarters." The meal had been little more than a quick bite eaten between holodeck simulations, but it had been sufficient; she wasn't hungry right now. All she wanted to do was crawl into that incredibly small, uncomfortable bed next to Chakotay and actually get a good night's sleep.

When Seven opened the bedroom door, she was greeted with Chakotay sitting up in bed with his arm slung around Mezoti's shoulder as she leaned against him with a book open in her lap. Both of them were fast asleep. The sight caused Seven to stop short.

"Aren't they cute?" Kathryn commented from behind her. Seven hadn't heard her join her. She turned around and saw that she'd retrieved her camera, which she eyed with a slightly amused smirk.

"A camera?" she asked.

"Oh come on, Seven, it's too cute to pass up." She had an excellent point there; they certainly did look very sweet fast asleep on the bed like that. With a roll of her eyes, she stood to the side, giving Kathryn a better view to take the photo.

As soon as the flash went off, Chakotay stirred. He ran his hand over his face and looked around in an attempt to get his bearings, which is when he saw Seven and Kathryn standing over him. Both women looked thoroughly amused, and he saw the camera clutched in Kathryn's hand, which he concluded was the source of the bright flash that woke him.

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice low and groggy.

"Approximately 2300 hours," Seven replied. He glanced down at Mezoti, who was still fast asleep against him with her book open to page fifteen; apparently they hadn't gotten very far in the book.

"I'll let you two call it a night. Goodnight." Kathryn excused herself, closing the door partway behind her, giving the small family a little bit of privacy as they got ready for bed. She'd share the photo with them later.

"Come on, Zoti, time to get up," Chakotay urged as he nudged her shoulder. Groaning, Mezoti shook her head and cuddled closer to him.

"Five more minutes," she muttered as she clutched the front of his shirt tightly, as if that could prevent her from leaving.

"Mezoti, comply," Seven snapped. Utterly exhausted herself, she didn't have time for these petty games. Upon hearing her mother's no-nonsense tone, Mezoti's eyes flew open.

"Mama?" Still partially asleep, she clambered out of bed and threw her arms around her mother's waist. Seven stroked her daughter's hair affectionately. Had it not been so late, and had she not been so tired, she would have allowed Mezoti to stay with them for a few more minutes, but she was exhausted right now. "When did you get back?"

"Only a few moments ago, and I would like to go to bed. Return to your quarters." Mezoti tilted her head back, prompting Seven to kiss her cheek softly, an affection she returned. She then turned her attention to Chakotay, who had crawled out of bed and was waiting for her to leave so he could change into his pajamas for the night.

"Goodnight, Chakotay." She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned back so she could kiss his cheek.

"Goodnight, Zoti." He kissed her cheek and gave her an affectionate squeeze before sending her scurrying out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Finally alone, Chakotay stripped down to his boxers and undershirt, tossing his dirty clothes in the suitcase in the corner. He glanced over at Seven, who was also changing for bed. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes and in the sluggish way she moved. He figured she had to have been up for nearly twenty-four hours at this point. Even a year ago, this wouldn't have been a big deal, but ever since she started training her body to sleep more and regenerate less, she needed to sleep every night, just like every other human. If anything, her exhaustion demonstrated that she was continuing to reclaim her humanity, quite successfully at that.

Clad in one of Chakotay's undershirts and a pair of shorts, Seven crawled under the covers. Chakotay followed a few moments after her, pulling the blankets up around both of them.

"Computer, dim lights," he commanded as he slid his arm around Seven, drawing her close. "How did it go today?" he finally asked. It surprised Seven that it took him this long to ask.

"All simulations were successful," she replied. "The algorithm I wrote appears to be quite promising. They will continue to run simulations in the coming days while simultaneously working on other solutions, just in case." Chakotay kissed behind her ear softly.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart. You've made history here." While Seven knew that that was true, she was too exhausted to care. Right now, her main focus was sleep, which quickly claimed both her and Chakotay.

 **Author's Note:** Once again, I'm so sorry for the delay. Things are crazy right now. I'm going to try to start posting more often now, I promise. Leave a review!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, dancing across the multicolored patchwork quilt. Mezoti's eyes fluttered open. Drawing in a deep breath, she rolled onto her back and stretched her arms over her head while letting out a small squeak. She had no recollection of returning to her temporary bedroom at all. The last thing she remembered last night was crawling into bed and reading with Chakotay. Now, here she was, laying in her bed, all alone. Had he moved her to her bed last night? Obviously he had, how else could she have gotten to her room? After a few minutes of laying in bed and staring at the ceiling as she tried to figure out how she got here in the first place, she rolled to her feet and stumbled out the door. So far, the house sounded silently, causing her to wonder if she was the first one awake. Silently, she crept down the hall, tentatively pushing open the door to her parents' room. The door creaked open several centimeters, just enough to see a tangled mass of limbs covered in hearts made from random scraps of fabric surrounded by multicolored squares. A soft snore, presumably courtesy of Chakotay, and a small tuft of golden hair sticking out from under the quilt told her that they were still asleep. Feeling that she was intruding on some private moment, even though they were just asleep, Mezoti pulled the door closed and headed downstairs.

As soon as Mezoti entered the expansive living room and kitchen, Sadie bounced over to her, jumping up on her back legs in an attempt to get some attention. She patted the top of the dog's head several times before joining Kathryn, who was drinking coffee and reading her PADD at the kitchen table. As soon as she saw the little girl join her, however, she put down her reading and greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," Mezoti echoed as she attempted to suppress a yawn. "When did my mama return?" Kathryn stopped to think. It had been late, much later than Seven anticipated.

"Around 2300 hours," she replied. "You don't remember?" Yes, Mezoti had been half asleep when her parents chased her out of their room, but apparently she had been so tired that she didn't remember any of it. Mezoti shook her head. "You must have been tired then."

"I had a long day." That was definitely an understatement. In addition to taking her horseback riding, Kathryn kept her busy by recruiting her to help cook dinner, cleaning out the barn (which she oddly enjoyed despite her penchant for sloppiness) and even playing a little bit with Sadie, who she was slowly warming up to.

"You certainly did." She paused. "What would you like for breakfast?" Mezoti stopped to think. Usually they were in such a rush in the morning that she only had a few minutes to wolf down a quick bowl of cereal while her mother complained that she should have gotten out of bed earlier so she could have an adequate meal. Ever since they got here, however, she had time to eat a leisurely breakfast, freshly replicated.

"Waffles?" Her answer came in the form of a question, unsure if Admiral Kathryn would give in to her request.

"Waffles it is." Kathryn temporarily abandoned her coffee to replicate Mezoti some breakfast. It didn't bother her that Chakotay and Seven were still asleep, leaving her to take care of their daughter; Mezoti wasn't difficult to take care of, and they were obviously tired if they were still fast asleep.

Chakotay tightened his grip around Seven, burying his face in her silky soft hair and drawing her close. Oblivious as she continued to sleep, this gave him the opportunity to admire her undeniable beauty: her rosy lips, slightly parted as she slept, the faint hint of blush creeping across her pale flesh, the glimmer of her starburst implant next to her right ear caught the sunlight, causing it to shimmer. He kissed next to the implant, softly brushing his lips against her flawless skin. Seven shifted slightly, muttering incoherently under her breath as her hand groped across the quilt. He slid his hand into hers and gave it a loving squeeze. He had considered getting up and heading downstairs, but the thought of moving wasn't nearly as appealing as laying here with the love of his life in his arms. This was vacation, a chance for him to relax; he didn't need to get up and do anything anytime soon.

To say Mezoti ate too much would be an understatement. Ever since she got here, she felt that Admiral Kathryn had one goal: to feed her as much food as possible. The food wasn't bad, when she stuck to predetermined recipes already in the replicator database. As soon as she started playing around with recipes, however, all bets were off. At least the waffles and orange juice she provided tasted delicious. However, Kathryn provided a large stack of three thick waffles, far more than a petite girl Mezoti's size could ever imagine to finish. She didn't want to be rude and leave half the food uneaten, but the thought of eating another bite made her feel sick to her stomach, resulting in her picking at her food, taking small bites when she could bring herself to stomach it.

Mezoti was just about to give up on all thoughts on finishing her breakfast when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The noise caught Sadie's attention. The dog had been previously fast asleep at Kathryn's feet, but as soon as she heard the footsteps, she jumped up and scurried towards the noise with a smile on her face, ready to greet whoever was awake. Moments later, Chakotay appeared with Sadie trotting beside him, occasionally jumping up in an attempt to get his attention. He patted her on the head before leaning over to kiss the top of Mezoti's head affectionately.

"Good morning," he greeted before heading over to the replicator for some coffee. Despite the fact that he'd gotten up later than usual, he was still exhausted; this time off was starting to make him lazy, it was a good thing they were heading back home tomorrow where they could back to his usual routine.

"Sleep well?" Kathryn asked. With his coffee clasped tightly in his hands, he took a seat at the table.

"It's the strangest thing, I woke up last night to some strange woman taking pictures of me while I tried to sleep," he joked.

With an amused smirk, Kathryn leaned forward and teased, "That must have been awful."

"Oh it was." Mezoti was completely lost. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she figured it was some sort of inside joke between the two of them; they'd been friends for so long that they had tons of them. Chakotay turned his attention to Mezoti. "So, Zoti, what do you want to do today?" She hated this, they always asked her what she wanted to do, but this wasn't just her vacation, it was their vacation as well, so they should be picking activities to do as well. Feeling put on the spot, all she could do was shrug.

"I don't know," she replied. The thought of going horseback riding again sounded fun; she wanted to show her mom what she had learned yesterday, even if it was little more than riding in slow circles around the paddock. On the other hand, she wanted to explore other aspects of the farm, try as many new things as possible while she was here and could do so.

"How about I take you swimming down at the pond?" Chakotay suggested before taking a sip of coffee. The thought of swimming simultaneously excited and terrified Mezoti. She'd heard of others swimming on the holodeck and even on shore leave, but she'd never learned herself. As far as she knew, her mom couldn't swim either, one of the few things she didn't know how to do. If Chakotay was offering to teach her, she might as well take him up on the offer. A sudden thought dawned on Mezoti, causing her face to fall.

"I don't have a bathing suit," she pointed out, visibly crestfallen that she wasn't going to learn how to swim now.

"You can replicate one," Kathryn pointed out. "Look through the database and find one you like." It was one thing to replicate food, but a bathing suit would take up significantly more energy, and Mezoti felt uncomfortable accepting such a gracious offer. On the other hand, Admiral Kathryn had been the one to bring it up, so she obviously didn't mind. Searching for some guidance, she turned to Chakotay, who gave her a subtle nod and small smirk, indicating that it was alright to accept the offer.

"Okay," she relented with a smile. Swimming sounded exciting, almost as exciting as horseback riding.

The sound of drawers opening and closing, paired with the rustling of clothes gently roused Seven from her sleep. Grumbling with protest at the intrusion, she rolled over and propped herself up slightly on one elbow as she watched Chakotay dig through the dresser where they'd stowed away their clothes for the duration of their stay.

"What are you looking for?" she asked sleepily, nearly causing Chakotay to jump out of his skin. He hadn't realized he'd woken her, he really had been trying to stay quiet so she could catch up on her sleep. Wide-eyed, he turned around.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He crossed the small room and kissed her cheek softly as a good morning greeting. She returned the affection.

"It's fine," she assured. "What are you looking for?" she repeated.

"My bathing suit," Chakotay replied as he sat on the edge of the bed next to Seven, bracing his hand against the bed as he leaned over her legs. Confusion momentarily flashed across her face.

"Your bathing suit?"

"Yeah, they're a pair of baggy shorts made from water resistant material-"

"I am aware what a bathing suit is, I just don't understand why you require it," Seven snapped. After staying up nearly all night, then working all day and late into the night yesterday, she was still tired and in a bad mood.

"I'm taking Mezoti swimming down at the pond." He patted her leg affectionately before getting to his feet and returning to search through the dresser for his bathing suit. That got Seven's attention. She sat up properly and glared at him.

"Are you sure it's safe?" she asked. "There could be harmful pathogens in the water. She also does not know how to swim." He waved off the comment dismissively with a careless flick of his wrist.

"I've been swimming in that pond half a dozen times," he replied. "I wouldn't suggest it unless I knew it was safe, sweetheart. I'll keep a hold of her the entire time, nothing will happen to her." He found his swimsuit buried under his shirts, not where he thought he left it. "You should come. Kathryn's replicating Mezoti a bathing suit right now, I'm sure you can replicate one as well." The thought of traipsing around in small swaths of skin tight water resistant material that barely covered her body didn't sound all too appealing, which Seven found ironic given the fact that she almost exclusively wore skin tight bodysuits that left nothing to the imagination; at least her bodysuits covered her completely.

"I believe I'll decline your offer," she stated firmly. Her tone spoke volumes, telling him that there was no way he could talk her out of it. He had to admit, he wasn't entirely surprised, but he had hoped that Seven would take a page out of Mezoti's book and step out of her comfort zone, at least for a little while.

Downstairs, Mezoti scrutinized each bathing suit that came up in the replicator database. Some of them she found tacky, over the top and hideous with bright colors and garish patterns. Others she found distasteful and far too revealing. It was difficult to find the perfect one, as this was her first bathing suit. She knew she had to make the right decision, as her mother wouldn't let her just go about replicating new ones until she found the perfect one; it would be a waste of energy, even if she recycled the rejected ones. Finally, she decided on a simple, solid colored purple bathing suit with straps that criss-crossed across her back. Satisfied with her choice, she replicated it, and it materialized within moments in the replicator.

"Okay, go change," Kathryn instructed as she handed it over. The flimsiness of the material surprised Mezoti; she hoped she'd made the right choice. Since it was too late to change her mind now, however, all she could do was take it upstairs and change. This bathing suit would have to do.

Figuring she might as well get up since everyone else had obviously started their day, Seven climbed out of bed. She might not want to go swimming, but that didn't mean she didn't want to spend time outside with Mezoti; she had to make up for the fact that she'd left all day yesterday and returned far later than she promised. Rather than her usual bodysuit, which would prove to be too warm in the sun, she instead opted for a pair of navy blue capris that clung to her figure just like her traditional bodysuits and a light pink short-sleeved shirt. It was the perfect outfit to enjoy some quality family time outside. When Chakotay glanced up from digging for an undershirt to wear with his bathingsuit, at least down to the pond, he couldn't help but smile at Seven's overtly casual outfit.

"You should dress like that more often," he commented. Confused, she glanced down at her clothes, trying to figure out what he was talking about. She didn't see anything special about what she was wearing.

"Explain."

"There's nothing to explain, I just think that you look stunning. You wear those bodysuits everyday. It's nice to see you in something different. I forget that you own different clothes."

"I don't. I replicated this before we came here," she explained as her hands self consciously smoothed down the shirt. She hadn't expected to get showered with compliments just for wearing a simple pair of capris and shirt. She'd seen other women wear similar outfits countless times, which is why she selected it from the database.

"Well, you look beautiful." Chakotay leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.

"Are you implying that there are times I don't look beautiful?" At first, he thought she was asking a serious question, as her expression appeared completely serious. When he looked closer, however, he saw the telltale smirk tugging at the corner of her lips that told him that she was flirting with him. He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against him, and he nuzzled her neck affectionately.

"You could wear a shapeless sack, and I'd still think you were the most beautiful woman in the galaxy," he murmured. Just as Seven snaked her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss, there was a tentative knock on the door.

"Chakotay?" It was Mezoti. "Are you ready?" Not wanting to leave without something, he stole a quick kiss before breaking free and opening the door. Mezoti stood in the doorway wearing her new bathing suit. "What do you think?"

"I think you look very nice," he replied as he stood to the side so Seven could size the child up.

"What do you think, Mama?" She carefully scrutinized the child, making sure it covered her appropriately while still serving its function. She'd seen plenty of children wearing horrible bathing suits that would be better suited for grown women, and she feared that Mezoti would pick one of those monstrosities. Thankfully, the child had some sense of propriety when it came to appropriate swimwear.

"I think you picked a very sensible bathing suit."

"Are you going to go swimming too?" There was a glimmer of hope in Mezoti's eyes as she thought of her mother joining her on this adventure. It didn't matter that Seven could swim. In fact, that would make it more fun.

"No, but I will join you at the pond." For a moment, Mezoti's face fell. Despite the fact that she knew her mother couldn't swim, she secretly hoped that she would surprise her and go swimming with them. She understood though, it was terrifying trying something new. Perhaps she would join them another time. Eager to get started, Mezoti bolted out of the room and down the stairs, her long legs carrying her down two at a time; she was built like a runner. There was no doubt in Seven's mind that she'd grow up to be incredibly tall and thin.

By the time Mezoti, Chakotay and Seven got down to the pond, Kathryn was already standing on the dock, waiting for them. Barefoot, she was clad in a pair of black shorts that ended just above her hips over a solid red bathing suit. In a way, it looked like a casual version of her Starfleet uniform, which amused Chakotay. At her feet were three neatly folded towels. Sadie stood at her owner's feet, eager to get in the water as well.

"Are you going to swim too, Admiral Kathryn?" Mezoti chirped as she danced around Kathryn with an excited sparkle in her deep brown eyes. While she had been apprehensive about getting on Lacey yesterday, she couldn't wait to get in the water today. It was as if riding Lacey yesterday had chased away all her fears and apprehensions.

"Maybe," she replied. In all honesty, she hadn't made a decision yet, but she wanted to have her swimsuit on, just in case. Chakotay yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side before sliding off his shoes.

"Okay, Zoti, ready?" Just like that, all of the excitement escaped Mezoti as she approached the end of the dock. Despite the fact that it was only a little more than half a meter above the water, she felt unsure about jumping in. There was no way for her to know how deep the water was, and she had no idea how to swim.

"Can you go first?" she asked meekly.

"Of course." Without even the slightest hesitation, he stood on the edge of the dock and dove into the water, his strong body disappearing underneath the murky water. Mezoti watched as the shadowy figure slid beneath the surface, reappearing several meters away with his hair flopping in his face. Seeing that he was too far away, he swam back towards the dock, his arms hooking through the air, pulling him closer so he could tread water approximately a meter and a half away from the end of the dock, where Mezoti stood, not looking nearly as excited as she previously had while Seven and Kathryn looked on.

"How deep is it?" Mezoti asked. Chakotay shrugged.

"It's not that bad," he assured. "Don't worry, Zoti, I've got you." To make his point, he held out his arms. "You jump, and I'll catch you." She bent her legs, ready to spring forward and jump into the water, but she stopped herself at the last minute. The distance between her and Chakotay seemed to grow exponentially with each second. Would Chakotay be able to catch her in time? If he wasn't, then she'd certainly sink like a stone to the bottom of the pond. She was awfully high up as well. This seemed horribly dangerous and absolutely terrifying. Yet, Chakotay had dived into the water like it was no big deal, as if he'd done this hundreds of times.

"Go on, Mezoti," Seven encouraged as she stepped towards her daughter. The apprehension seemed to roll off Mezoti, and both Seven and Kathryn thought that she wasn't going to do it. Then, without warning, Mezoti threw herself into the air, her lanky arms and legs flailing as she flew through the air and into Chakotay's waiting arms. With a smile plastered across his face, he caught her, purposefully submerging them both in the water in the process. As soon as she felt the water rushing over her head, Mezoti clutched his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh in the process. When they reemerged, she sputtered and shook the water out of her face.

"You did it," he announced proudly. Her heart fluttered excitedly in her chest and adrenaline coursed through her veins; she couldn't believe she actually did it. Now that she glanced over her shoulder at the dock and saw how close it was, it didn't look terrifying at all. In fact, she felt foolish for thinking that it was scary, it was hardly anything to be worked up about, and she wanted to do it again, to see if it was just as exciting the second time around.

"Good job," Kathryn praised from her seat at the end of the dock next to Seven. Both women had taken the opportunity to make themselves comfortable with their legs dangling carelessly over the water while the duo played in the water. Mezoti knew that Admiral Kathryn would always have positive things to say about her, so she wanted to know what her mother thought. When she looked at Seven, she could see a look of approval in her eyes, telling her that she was proud of her overcoming her apprehensions and trying something new. Feeling proud of herself, Mezoti couldn't help but smile as she continued to cling tightly to Chakotay with one of her arms hooked around his neck.

"Can I do it again?"

"Of course." He guided her back towards the dock. Her arms flailed, sending water splashing in every directions as she attempted to imitate the graceful strokes he'd demonstrated earlier. He made it look so easy, but when she tried, she was nothing more than a tangled mess of lanky limbs. "Woah, woah, Mezoti, stop." He plucked her out of the water, instantly putting an end to the water flying all over the place. "Let me show you." All thoughts of jumping off the end of the dock again were temporarily abandoned as Chakotay focused his attention on teaching her how to swim, which was far more important, at least to him.

The warm sun beat down on Seven and Kathryn as they watched Chakotay patiently teach Mezoti how to hold out her legs perfectly straight so she could kick efficiently. The heat almost made Seven wish she'd replicated a bathing suit so she could join them, but she had no idea how to swim, and Chakotay seemed busy enough teaching Mezoti. He was extremely patient with her, not even batting an eye when she nearly kicked him in the face several times. Instead, he corrected her mistakes, keeping one arm firmly locked under her stomach to hold her above the water while he used his other arm to keep her legs straight. Not once did he seem bored or frustrated with her, even when she kept bending her legs over and over again. Instead, he gently corrected her, reminding her over and over again not to make the same mistakes.

Kathryn had to admit that she was surprised by Chakotay's paternal instincts. She honestly never saw him as a father, even when Seska lied and said that he was her unborn child's father; the thought of him raising children never fit with her image of him. Now that she saw him with Mezoti, however, she knew that she had been wrong. Chakotay was born to be a father, just like he was born to be a leader. Just like that little girl brought out the maternal side of Seven, she brought out the paternal side of Chakotay. Without even realizing it, she was changing the lives of the people around her without even realizing it.

"Chakotay is a wonderful father," Kathryn commented.

"He is," Seven agreed with a glimmer of admiration in her crystal blue eyes. "He and Mezoti are completely devoted to each other." She glanced over at Kathryn. "It is almost as if they have a special bond that I never anticipated. I never anticipated any of this." Seven added the last part quietly, as an afterthought. Concern flashed across Kathryn's face as she turned to face her properly.

"What's wrong, Seven?" She knew the young woman well enough to know that something serious was bothering her. She could see it in the subtle way her eyebrows knit together and her eyes flitted back and forth between her and Mezoti and Chakotay. They were happily engaged in their swimming lessons, completely oblivious that they were being watched, which gave the pair perched on the end of the dock a chance to talk in private.

"When you severed my connection with the Collective, I thought my world was coming to an end, and I did not know how to proceed. Then, you gave me the opportunity to raise Mezoti and the rest of the children, and I found a new purpose, which has only been encouraged by my relationship with Chakotay. None of this would have been possible without you, Admiral. I quite literally owe you my life. You gave me more than just my humanity, you gave me a family." Seven paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed. "I saw how Tom and B'Elanna acted, or even Ensign Wildman and Naomi, and I knew I would never be as lucky as them, but now I am. I simply cannot imagine living without Chakotay and Mezoti in my life. When Mezoti was missing, it felt as though a huge hole had opened up inside of me, and when she came back, I never wanted to let her go again, and I have you to thank. You gave me more than my humanity, you gave me a life worth living, and I can't thank you enough." The admission caught Kathryn off guard and brought several tears to her eyes as she patted Seven's knee affectionately. Not once did she ever think that she deserved to be thanked; she'd severed her link to the Collective because it was the right thing to do, not for any type of reward. Everything had turned out far better than she could have ever anticipated. In the first year or two after Seven joined the crew, Kathryn thought they'd be lucky if the young woman learned a few social graces and made a handful of friends. Not only had she done that, but she took it a step further by teaching Mezoti and the rest of the children how to get in touch with their former non-Borg lives and engaging in a stable romantic relationship with someone who absolutely adored her, and she clearly felt the same way towards Chakotay. If this was what Seven could accomplish in four years, she couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for her protege.

"You've never needed to thank me. I only did what anyone else would have done." Seven shook her head.

"You are incorrect. Every other Starfleet officer would have discharged me out of the nearest airlock. You, however, saw something in me that others would have ignored." As much as she hated to admit it, Kathryn knew she was right. No Starfleet officer in his right mind would have tried to save a Borg, no matter what. She never thought of herself as a typical Starfleet officer, which is why she didn't think twice about taking on Seven, albeit as little more than a project at first. She couldn't help but think about the first few months after Seven joined them; Chakotay had been adamantly against everything she did, and now they were madly in love. It was ironic.

"Well it's a good thing I found you then. I can't imagine our trip through the Delta Quadrant without you, and I can think of many others who feel the same way."

"Regardless of how you feel, Admiral, thanks are in order. For the first time that I can remember, I have a family." Kathryn was sure that Seven was going to get emotional. She heard her voice crack slightly, but she did her best to conceal her emotions to the best of her ability. This was a serious conversation. "I feel that a simple thank you is insufficient, as you have given me so much."

"I don't expect anything from you, Seven." She paused. "Although there is one thing you can do." Seven's expression said that she was willing to do just about anything to thank her for everything she's done for her over the years. Even when she made serious mistakes, such as accusing both her and Chakotay and purposefully stranding _Voyager_ in the Delta Quadrant, she overlooked her transgressions and found a way to make things right again. Very few people had such patience, yet she always seemed to have a never ending supply of it. "You can call me Kathryn. I'd like to think that after everything we've been through together, you think of me as more than your superior officer." The request didn't sit well with Seven. Respecting the Admiral was of the utmost importance to her, and she could do so by referring to her as her title. Chakotay was the only person she knew of who called her by her first name, and that was because they had a special bond unlike anyone else.

"I will consider it," Seven hesitantly consented. She knew Chakotay referred to Kathryn by her first name, but they were closer in rank and known each other significantly longer. She wasn't sure if she would be able to stomach referring to her in such an informal manner, but it was something she could think about.

It took some time, but Mezoti finally mastered kicking, but the lesson had worn her out. She continued to cling tightly to Chakotay as he took her farther away from the dock towards the center of the pond where the water got deeper. She'd been feeling fine while they were close to the dock, close to the edge of the pond so she could make a quick escape if necessary.

"We're too far away," Mezoti screeched as her knees dug into his sides for good measure. Chakotay couldn't help but laugh.

"We're fine," he promised as he rubbed her back. "Would I let anything happen to you?" Suddenly feeling ridiculous, she shook her head, but she still felt terrified about being in the very middle of the lake. She knew that the water was deeper than Chakotay's height.

"No," she admitted softly.

"Exactly. Come on, let's go swimming." He somehow managed to pry Mezoti free long enough to slide her onto his back, where she immediately locked her arms around his neck in a vice like grip and continued to dig her bony knees into his sides. He ignored the discomfort and instead instructed, "Close your eyes and hold your breath. Got it?" She took a deep, overdramatic breath and nodded her head. Chakotay took a deep breath as well, and they both disappeared under the water.

Mezoti had no idea how Chakotay moved so quickly beneath the water's surface. She could feel his legs pumping as they skimmed along the bottom of the pond. Underwater plants tickled her legs as they seemed to fly along the muddy bottom of the pond. For a moment, she was tempted to open her eyes, just to see what it was like. She imagined a sparkling world with fish darting to get out of the way, hiding behind various plants that danced gently as the water around them shifted. Unable to resist, Mezoti opened her eyes, only for a second. She should have kept her eyes closed. Not only did the murky water burn her eyes, but she was completely disappointed by what she saw. The water was too murky to really see anything other than dark green particles floating all around them. Mezoti slammed her eyes closed and tried to pretend that they were swimming through the beautiful mental image she'd previously imagined, but the facade was ruined now.

It didn't take long for Mezoti's lungs to start burning from oxygen deprivation. As far as she knew, Chakotay appeared to be fine, which was surprising because he was the one doing all the work, swimming while simultaneously carrying her on his back. It didn't seem to be a big deal to him at all. Subconsciously, she began to pull away, loosening her grip on his back in an attempt to get back to the surface to get some air. Sensing Mezoti's discomfort, Chakotay kicked off from the bottom of the pond, his feet sliding against the slick rocks and mud that coated the bottom. The push was all he needed to send them both shooting towards the surface. As soon as they surfaced, Mezoti took several deep breaths. They were far deeper than he originally intended. Now, they were in the center of the pond, where the water was at least three meters deep, forcing him to tread water while Mezoti clung to his back. As soon as she saw how far away they were from the dock, her eyes grew wide with apprehension. How in the world were they going to get back? She couldn't swim, so he would have to carry her back...somehow.

Seven kept both her eyes firmly glued on Chakotay and Mezoti; they were awfully far out. She trusted him to keep her safe, but she still couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Her maternal instincts seemed to be hypersensitive after the events of the past week. If something were to happen to Chakotay, something as innocent as a cramp, Mezoti would be all on her own, and she didn't know how to swim.

As if she sensed the younger woman's fears, Kathryn said, "Don't worry, they're perfectly safe. Chakotay's a strong swimmer."

"I am aware of his physical fitness, but I am still apprehensive." Seven had no idea why she felt this way. Logically, she knew nothing could happen to Mezoti, that Chakotay wouldn't let anything happen to her, but she still felt nervous. The part of the pond they were in looked awfully deep from where she was sitting.

"It's called being a mom," Kathryn explained with a smile. "Your head knows that she's alright, but your heart is worried because you care about her."

"And Chakotay cares about her as well," Seven added. "When we first moved in with Chakotay, I was apprehensive that they would not get along. Now, I believe they find each other's company more enjoyable than mine." Kathryn opened her mouth to disagree, but when she looked over at the pair, there was no denying that it was most likely true. Mezoti had opened up something new in Chakotay; he worshiped that little girl, and she obviously felt the same way. Even from a distance, she could see the smiles plastered on both of their faces as he swam back to a shallower part of the pond so they could continue with their swimming lessons.

"I'm glad Chakotay has the two of you, it's made him complete." Up until recently, Kathryn never realized that there seemed to be something missing in Chakotay's life. She thought the stability of returning to Earth would fix that, a chance to show Starfleet that he'd moved passed his rebellious days as a Maquis leader and was capable of so much more. That worked, to an extent, but there was still something else missing, a higher purpose. Mezoti inadvertently fulfilled that purpose by giving him someone to take care of and teach, much like she had done with Seven when she first arrived on _Voyager_. Without knowing it, that little girl was changing the lives of the adults around her. "Have you two considered having more children?" Normally Seven would consider such a question highly invasive, but Kathryn was far more than a friend, she was practically family, which gave her the ability to ask such personal questions.

"I am unsure if I can have children," she confessed. While she and the Doctor had discussed what seemed like every aspect of her health in great detail, the topic of her ability to have children never came up in conversation. "And it isn't something we have discussed. For the time being, Mezoti is sufficient to keep us busy." That was definitely an understatement. Even when she had the best intentions, Mezoti still found a way to be troublesome. She always meant well though, so it was hard to be angry with her when she caused problems.

With Mezoti clinging tightly to his back, Chakotay swam back closer to the dock until his feet finally brushed against the bottom of the pond, allowing him to stand up properly and giving his quickly tiring legs a much needed break. He pried Mezoti off his back and swung her around so she was in front of him now.

"Now, let's get back to your swimming lessons. You're going to hook your arms up over your head and cup your hands. Basically you're scooping water, which will push you forward," he explained. He kept one arm locked around her and used the other arm to demonstrate. At first, she was utterly confused by what he meant, but it all fell into place.

"Like when you throw a right hook," she announced proudly. "But up over your head." The analogy between swimming and boxing caused Chakotay to feel uneasy. Although Seven had obviously forgiven him for his serious transgression, guilt still consumed him. Looking back, he had been incredibly reckless; there was no need for a little girl Mezoti's age to know how to box, and she'd used that knowledge against another child. Had he been more responsible from the very beginning, none of that would have happened.

"In a way," he finally replied, choosing his words carefully. The last thing he needed was for Mezoti to start boxing again; it would cause a whole new slew of problems.

A sudden realization hit Seven like a blast from a phaser, instantly making her feel sick to her stomach with stress and anxiety. Tomorrow they were leaving to return home, which meant back to reality and the fallout from Mezoti's actions. She and Chakotay had planned on using some of this time away from everything to figure out what to do next, but they'd been so wrapped up in entertaining Mezoti and her work at Headquarters that it slipped both of their minds. Now, they were running out of time, and they had no plan as to how to move forward. They had to think of something and soon.

Kathryn glanced over at Seven and saw the stressed, almost pained expression on her face. Just a few moments ago, she'd been completely at ease as she watched Mezoti's lanky limbs flail through the air as she attempted to follow Chakotay's directions. She certainly was getting better, but she still had a lot of practice ahead of her if she wanted to be a strong swimmer. Right now, however, Kathryn's main concern was the stressed expression on Seven's face. The young woman was doing her best to hide her feelings, just like she always did, but Kathryn knew her well enough to see something was bothering her.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the pair.

"Chakotay and I have not had a chance to discuss our plan for when we return home. We have hardly had more than a few minutes together in private to discuss it, and tomorrow we leave to go home without any time of plan." Kathryn could appreciate Seven's stress. This was an important issue that they needed to discuss in private, which was difficult given their close proximity to Mezoti the past few days and limited amount of privacy combined with Seven's abrupt departure yesterday for Headquarters.

"How about when the two of them are done, I'll take Mezoti up to the house so she can shower, then I'll take her down to the barn?" she suggested. "That way you can at least start discussing what to do next."

"That's unnecessary."

"No, it's completely necessary. It's important that you two have some time to talk, and this is incredibly important. I can buy you guys about an hour to talk."

"Thank you...Kathryn." The informality of the name felt strange to Seven, but she wanted to honor her request to call her by her first name. Based on the smile that spread across Kathryn's face and the glimmer of appreciation in her eyes, she'd done the right thing.

After over an hour and a half of patiently teaching Mezoti how to swim, Chakotay felt confident in her abilities, although she still had quite a bit of work to do. He made a mental note to find a swimming pool close to their house when they got home, and he'd take her so she could continue to practice. Surely Seven would be amenable to her swimming in a pool. He was pretty sure there was one at Starfleet Headquarters somewhere that was open to officers and their families. Having never been to that particular swimming pool himself, he'd have to do some research and find it on his own. Perhaps Kathryn knew about it and would be able to help him out.

By the time he dragged himself up the ladder alongside the dock, Chakotay felt absolutely exhausted. Mezoti, on the other hand, appeared ready for whatever else he had in store for her as she dried herself off. He snatched up one of the towels and followed her example, drying herself off as well.

"Come on, Mezoti, let's give your mom and Chakotay some time to talk," Kathryn announced as she got to her feet.

"Talk about what?" Mezoti asked. Chakotay was just as confused as she was as he turned to Seven for some explanation. He could see in her eyes that whatever it was, it was serious. Resting would have to wait for right now.

"Just talk," Kathryn replied as she put a hand on Mezoti's back and steered her in the direction of the house so she could shower. Wondering if she'd done something wrong, Mezoti glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who kept her face surprisingly stoic as she waited for Chakotay to finish drying off.

Chakotay waited until Kathryn, Sadie and Mezoti were practically at the house before asking, "Okay, sweetheart, how much trouble am I in now?" The playful glimmer in his eyes and boyish grin told Seven that he was just teasing her.

"How much time do you have? It may take me a while to list all your infractions," Seven retorted. Before Chakotay, she found such flirtatious, teasing remarks difficult to understand, but once she started her romantic relationship with him, they became second nature to her. It helped that he was equally playful and drew out that side of her almost effortlessly. Chakotay yanked his navy blue shirt over his head. It clashed horrendously with his orange bathing suit, but esthetics were irrelevant right now. Once properly dressed, he slid on his shoes and slung his towel over his shoulder before holding out his hand for Seven's.

"What's really bothering you?" he asked as they began to aimlessly walk. He began to lead her towards the edge of the property so they could walk the perimeter, which would hopefully give them enough time to talk.

"We need to create a plan for how to proceed when we return home," Seven replied. Their hands swung back and forth casually as they walked.

"I had a feeling that that's what you wanted to talk about," he confessed. "What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know," she admitted. He could sense her anxiety; there were very few times where she honestly had no idea how to proceed, but this was one of those rare times. In all honesty, he was just lost as to how to proceed. "Do you think we sent Mezoti to school too soon? She's only been on Earth for a few months. Perhaps Icheb was right, I wasn't doing what's right for her." Chakotay stopped walking and leaned against the long wooden fence that marked the edge between Kathryn's property and her neighbor's while clasping her hands in his.

"I honestly think that she would have encountered these problems regardless of where she is. I know B'Elanna was teased a lot when she was her age. Kids can be cruel, especially when it comes to something they don't understand. It doesn't help that Mezoti is not only Borg but also Norcadian; two things most people around here don't understand."

"There has to be something we can do. Perhaps arrange for private tutors and homeschool her for a few more years, or find a smaller school full of children from all across the galaxy. Do you know of any schools like that in the area?" Already, Seven's mind was whirling at the prospect of finding a new, better school for Mezoti. Chakotay took her face in his hands, putting an end to her rambling.

"No, we're not doing that." His voice was surprisingly firm for someone who just said a few moments ago that he had no idea how to proceed from here. Seven's shoulders slumped. She had hoped that that would be the best solution to their problem. She opened her mouth to ask why, but he continued. "We can't shelter Mezoti forever. I know you want to, but you can't. She needs to see what the real world is like, and the real world, unfortunately, includes people who won't understand her and will think poorly of her." His fingers trailed along her arms, brushing along her fingertips lightly.

"So we return her to school as if nothing happened?" The idea didn't sit well with Seven at all. There had to be more that they could do to help Mezoti. "Perhaps I should talk to the administration at her school to discuss further measures. They may be able to enlighten us on how to proceed."

"I agree." Their fingers laced together, and he gave her hands a loving squeeze. "There's also the matter of a punishment for Mezoti. I don't know about you, sweetheart, but I don't like the thought of her running away and then not having any sort of consequence."

"I concur. I believe she should be….grounded for a duration of two weeks." Seven wanted the punishment to stick and leave a lasting impression, but she didn't want it to be too severe. This was Mezoti's first major infraction, and she had been pushed to act out through a variety of circumstances. She didn't see her daughter as a troublesome child who was on a downward spiral of misbehavior and acting out.

"I agree. We can tell her tomorrow when we get home, no use getting her all upset on her last day of vacation." Chakotay wanted nothing more than to let Mezoti enjoy her last day of vacation before taking her back to the real world where she had to face the consequences of her actions just like everyone else. At least all three of them had one more day to relax.

 **Author's Note:** Two updates so close to each other, I'm on a roll! The good news is that I MAY be done with grad school. If my professor likes my paper, I'm done, if not, I have two more weeks. I decided to celebrate by revising this chapter. I hope you liked it. Let me know by leaving a review.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The past few days had flown by in a whirlwind of activities and attempts to rebuild the fragile family bond that held them all together for Chakotay. As much as he hated to admit it, it was time to get ready to head back to reality. While reflecting on how peaceful everything had been for the past few days, he shoved the last of his and Seven's clothes into their bag and zipped it up. Their stay has been wonderful, the perfect reprieve from the chaos of their lives. Even without everything that had happened with Mezoti, Chakotay realized that they needed a break from reality, a chance to regroup and focus on themselves and making sure the delicate bond between them continued to strengthen. The past several days had given him not only a chance to reconnect with Mezoti but with Seven as well, which was something he hoped to continue when they all returned home. He made a mental promise to spend more alone time with Seven in order to keep their relationship strong, they might be parents, but they were also lovers and needed to focus on that as well.

In Mezoti's room, Seven stood over her daughter and supervised as she stuffed her clothes and books into her bag. Unlike Chakotay who neatly folded all the dirty clothes before packing them, Mezoti shoved everything in her bag haphazardly so they barely fit. She didn't see the point of taking the time to fold all her clothes when she was just going to dump them in her hamper as soon as she got home, or, more likely, on the floor. She could sense her mother's frustration with her lack of neatness, but she honestly didn't care.

"Be sure to make the bed before you bring your bag downstairs," Seven firmly instructed. Mezoti rolled her eyes.

"Mama, do I have to?" she protested.

"Yes, you will leave this room exactly as you found it upon our arrival. The Admiral was incredibly generous to open her house up to us, and you will return the favor by cleaning up this room." With Mezoti's belongings packed away, the room seemed significantly neater, but she still had to make her bed and do a little bit of straightening up. If anything, it would take her ten minutes to do so, but that wasn't the point. Cleaning was the one thing Mezoti hated more than anything else. Sensing that Mezoti was more than capable of straightening up a bedroom on her own and without any supervision, Seven left her alone to complete the task.

Chakotay swung his and Seven's bag over his shoulder and pounded down the stairs to where Kathryn sat on the front porch with a precious cup of coffee in one hand and a PADD in the other. When she heard the front door open, she glanced up. Chakotay dumped the bag next to the door and was about to sit down next to her, but she stood up instead.

"Kathryn, I don't even know how to thank you," he confessed with a sigh. They might be best friends, but even now, she went above and beyond the call of duty. In their time of need, she graciously opened up her home to them at little more than a moment's notice and went out of her way to ensure they were all comfortable and had everything they could possibly need.

"There's no need for you to thank me," Kathryn assured as she wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck and rubbed his back. As always, he had to stoop down to accommodate her hug as his arms encircled her. "Is there anything else I can do?" she asked as the hug broke off, and she rested her hands on his broad chest. In all honesty, she felt like she didn't do very much to support the small family, all she'd done is let them stay at her house for a few days, hardly anything difficult or worth mentioning. She knew that any member of the _Voyager_ crew would have gladly done the same, and she knew that she ever needed something, Chakotay and Seven would help her in whatever way possible.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Seven and I have to handle this on our own." The gratitude left his voice as he sounded crestfallen and confused; giving Kathryn a brief glimpse into the conflict that consumed her friend and confidant. Their break from reality was over, and now he had to go back to being a parent, to dealing with the consequences of Mezoti's actions and figuring out where to go from here. At least now he and Seven had a plan, Chakotay just hoped that it would work and that everything would go back to normal soon. Kathryn looked equally upset that she couldn't do anything to help him. They'd been through so much together over the years, and they'd always found ways to support each other. Now, however, there was nothing she could do, and all she could do was step back and let events play out while hoping for the best.

"Well I'm here if you need anything, even if it's just someone to talk to." He gave her upper arm a squeeze and cracked a small, appreciative smile. Just knowing that she was there for him meant the world to him, not that he would expect anything less from her. They supported each other no matter what

Seven and Mezoti emerged onto the porch. Mezoti's bag bulged awkwardly, a sign that she'd just shoved everything randomly into her bag, not that Chakotay or Kathryn expected anything less from her. When Chakotay saw them, he instinctively reached out and took the bag from her. Somehow, her bag weighed just as much as theirs, which he couldn't figure out since her clothes were significantly smaller and there was just one of her.

"Zoti, what do you have to say to Admiral Kathryn?" he prompted.

"Thank you for allowing us to visit." With a smile on her face, Kathryn leaned over so she could look at Mezoti properly.

"You're always welcome to visit." She hugged the child. At first, the act of affection caught Mezoti off guard. Once she regained her composure, however, she returned the hug, although it felt strange to her. This was a woman who she always saw as an authority figure, someone to be regarded with the highest respect and even a little intimidation, definitely not someone she openly hugged like this. Kathryn rubbed her back and stroked her hair tenderly. After hugging Mezoti, Kathryn stood up and turned her attention to Seven.

Sensing she wanted to talk to Seven in private, Chakotay instructed, "Come on, Mezoti, let's go." She opened her mouth to protest, but he motioned in the direction of the shuttle, which sat on the grass about a hundred and fifty meters away. Scowling, she dragged her feet towards the shuttle; she wanted to know what they were going to talk about, although she knew it was going to be about her, which couldn't be a good thing. She didn't want to leave the farm and the endless activities to keep her entertained. There was no telling what tomorrow would entail for her.

Seven watched as Chakotay guided Mezoti towards the shuttle, giving her and Kathryn a few minutes of privacy. Just like Mezoti, she found that she didn't want to leave the farm and the refuge that it had created for her and her family. Everything had been so peaceful, offering them a blissful escape from the chaos that had so suddenly consumed their lives. Even someone as obsessed with productivity and efficiency as her wanted nothing more than to stay here for a few more days; she finally started to understand the appeal of taking some time off.

"Kathryn, your hospitality has been extremely gracious. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us. I wish there was some way we could return the favor." Kathryn waved off the comment with an annoyed flick of her wrist. She really wished the two of them would stop thanking her; she hadn't done anything special.

"There's no need for you to thank me. You are always welcome here." She paused. "I want you to know that you're a fantastic mother, Seven, and don't you let anything that's happened make you think otherwise." Although Kathryn wasn't a mother herself, Seven found solace in her assurances. She still had serious doubts as to whether or not their plan for tomorrow would actually work, but she just had to trust that they'd made the right decision in sending Mezoti back to school.

"Thank you. You have been an incredibly supportive friend to both of us." Unable to help herself, Kathryn gave Seven one last hug. "I'm afraid I must go, Chakotay is waiting for me." She glanced over at the shuttle. She could hear the engine running, waiting for her to board.

"Let me know when you get home safely."

"I will." Kathryn gave her arm one last comforting squeeze before Seven left, crossing the yard and entering the shuttle, disappearing out of sight. The Admiral scooped Sadie up in her arms and scratched the dog under the chin as they watched from the edge of the porch as the shuttle took off and quickly disappeared across the sky.

At first, Mezoti had been sad to leave Kathryn's farm, but the closer they got to home, the more anxiety and dread filled her, replacing the sadness. She knew that when she got home, she would undoubtedly be in trouble for running away and hitting Naya, although it was difficult for her to know how much trouble. It wasn't being in trouble that bothered her, but she had no idea what the punishment would be. Never before had she done something so egregious, usually she got in trouble for stumbling upon some area of _Voyager_ with Naomi and the twins, which typically resulted in a firm scolding from her mom and Ensign Wildman. Her mother was a strict disciplinarian, and Chakotay was very much accustomed to dealing with rule breakers and finding the most suitable punishment given his line of work. A million terrible punishments swam through her mind, and each one was worse than the last. She thought about being confined to her bedroom for weeks on end, forced to stare outside at the freedom she wasn't allowed to enjoy, longing to feel the sun warm her skin and the breeze rustle through her hair. That seemed like a terrible punishment, until she thought about a worse one. She'd heard about places where difficult children could be sent. They'd live away from their parents and be forced to undergo extreme behavioral modification to teach them the error of their ways. Undoubtedly her mother and Chakotay knew of such places and could use their connections at Starfleet to fast track her acceptance to one such place to ensure she never behaved so horribly again. For all she knew, they were taking her home only to send her away again, this time for an undetermined amount of time. She'd finally gotten used to living where she was, and she might be sent away. This might be their last time together as a family, and they just hadn't told her yet. The thought made Mezoti feel sick to her stomach. She considered asking her mom and Chakotay about what was going to happen next now, but she found that she didn't want to know; knowing would only make it real.

The flight home seemed brief to all three inhabitants of the shuttle, who wanted nothing more than to stay on Kathryn's farm for longer. Chakotay landed the shuttle next to Seven's in front of the house. Even though they'd only been gone for a few days, it felt like a lifetime since they'd been here. Tomorrow, it was back to the real world, but at least they had a few more hours of relaxation ahead of them.

"Mezoti, take your bag upstairs and put everything away," Seven instructed as she got to her feet. Before Chakotay could stand up and grab their bag, she had it in her hand. He sighed and glowered at her but ultimately decided to keep his comments to himself. Now wasn't the time for the two of them to get in a disagreement over something as trivial as carrying a bag.

"Okay," Mezoti muttered as she grabbed her bag and trudged inside with her head hung in shame. She wished they would just tell her what they were going to do with her and get it over with. While her parents may be glad to be home, she was dreading what was going to happen next.

In her bedroom, Mezoti dumped the contents of her bag on her bed with a loud clatter. She shifted through the mess, plucking out her hairbrush, books and various belongings until she only had a pile of clothes, which she scooped up and tossed unceremoniously in her hamper without so much as a second thought. She could hear her parents walk down the hall, talking softly as they retreated to their bedroom for a few moments of privacy themselves. Once her clothes were put away, she started putting her books and other belongings away. Perhaps if she worked hard to keep her room clean, which her mother always scolded her about, the punishment would be less severe.

A knock on her bedroom door caused Mezoti's heart to flutter anxiously in her chest. She'd been so wrapped up in trying to clean up that she didn't realize how much time had passed. She knew that this was it, it was her parents coming to exact their punishment on her. She finished straightening up the last of her books stacked on her nightstand and turned around.

"Come in," she called. Both Seven and Chakotay entered her bedroom with serious looks on their faces. She tried in vain to read their expressions to figure out what they were thinking, but it was impossible to tell exactly what their decision was.

"Zoti, come sit down," Chakotay instructed as he sat on her bed and patted next to him. The color drained from Mezoti's face as she complied, and her mother sat on the other side of her. "Your mother and I talked, and we have decided that there need to be repercussions for your behavior over the past week." Tears welled up in Mezoti's eyes and began to spill down her cheeks. She'd been determined to hold her feelings back, just like her mother always did, but they got the best of her as terror and apprehension filled her.

"Are you going to send me away?" she bawled. Chakotay and Seven exchanged quick glances. Neither one could figure out where such an idea came from. "Because I promise, I'll never do anything bad again. I will focus entirely on my studies and always make sure my room is spotless, just please don't send me away." For someone who had just run away a few days ago, it was a massive aboutface. Now, the very thought of not being with her family caused her extreme emotional duress. This was where she wanted to be more than anywhere else in the galaxy or even the whole universe.

"We have no intention of sending you away," Seven assured as she wrapped an arm around Mezoti in a rare display of affection from her. Feeling comforted by the close proximity, the child immediately leaned against her mother. Despite the assurances that she wasn't going anywhere, she continued to cry. Sobs wracked her small body. She'd gotten herself so worked up over the fear of being sent away that she simply couldn't calm herself down, no matter how hard she tried. Momentarily forgetting that they were here to discuss Mezoti's punishment, both Seven and Chakotay focused their attention on comforting the child. She clung tightly to her mother, her nails digging into her skin.

"I'm sorry, I don't want to be sent away. I want to stay with you both. Don't send me away. I'll do anything to stay"

"Mezoti." Chakotay's voice was simultaneously firm and comforting, instantly catching her attention. Sniffling, she slowly sat up properly and released her vice like grip on Seven. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her tears had created tracks down her cheeks. "There is no way we are going to send you away, we want you here with us."

"Even though I caused you all these problems?" Her voice was small and meek. Seven stroked her hair affectionately.

"You are a part of this family and belong here with us, no matter what you've done," she explained. Her voice was surprisingly soothing for someone who was normally incredibly serious. "Both of us love you dearly and want you with us."

"But there do need to be some repercussions for your actions. You can't run away whenever you have problems, and you certainly can't go around hitting other children," Chakotay interjected. Still sniffling and struggling to compose herself, Mezoti nodded and ran her hand across her face to wipe away some of her tears, but she instead ended up smearing them all across her cheeks in the process.

"You are grounded for the next two weeks," Seven stated firmly. "You are not allowed to play outside, your computer will be confiscated, and you will not be able to watch any movies or other forms of entertainment. Do you understand?" Mezoti nodded. Compared to what she thought was going to happen to her, being grounded for two weeks seemed like nothing. She'd be perfectly fine with sitting and staring at a wall every day for the next two weeks as long as she wasn't sent away. "And tomorrow you will return to school." Suddenly, everything seemed horrible all over again. The thought of returning to school, where all these problems originated.

"No, I won't do it," she exclaimed as she shoved herself to her feet and rounded on the couple. "I refuse to return to school." In the blink of an eye, Seven's gaze went from compassionate and caring to hard and frustrated. She really did think they were having a meaningful conversation, and now it all seemed to fly out the window.

"You will comply," she snapped, her eyes narrow and full of fury at the blatant disrespect.

"No I won't!"

"Mezoti, we're not going to start this all over again," Chakotay stated, finally joining in the conversation. He sounded more annoyed than angry. "School is essential, and you're going, regardless of how you feel."

"They're cruel to me and tease me. Nobody there likes me."

"How others feel is irrelevant." Chakotay glared at Seven. In his opinion, her hard nosed parenting approach might not be the best for this current situation.

"Zoti, come here." His voice was gentle as he held out his hand. She eyed Chakotay warily but eventually complied. He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist in an attempt to comfort her. She sat with her back ramrod straight, refusing to allow herself to be comforted by him, not when he was making her go back to school. "When Mama first arrived on _Voyager_ , I wanted nothing to do with her. I thought letting her stay on the starship was the worst mistake Admiral Kathryn could ever make. I was afraid of her, because I was taught to be afraid of the Borg. She wasn't Borg anymore, and neither are you. Unfortunately, some people aren't going to understand that and will say horrible things about you. All that matters is that you know that you're not Borg, but instead a beautiful little girl who has people here who love and care about you."

"How can I show them that I am no longer Borg?"

"You must be yourself," Seven replied. "Show them that you are an individual who cares about others. Understand?" Mezoti nodded. Seven put her hand on her daughter's cheek and leaned over to cheek her forehead softly. It was a small act, but it worked wonders to make the child feel better. Chakotay patted Mezoti's leg, indicating that she should stand up. He stood up and dropped a loving kiss on top of her head.

"You'll be fine tomorrow," he promised before leaving. Mezoti wasn't so sure, how could he know that everything would be alright? He wasn't the one who had to face Naya and Priya and all the horrible things they said to her on a daily basis. Seven followed Chakotay. On her way out the door, she made sure to gather together Mezoti's computer and PADDs, which she would lock away in their bedroom for the next two weeks.

Unlike Mezoti, Chakotay had no intention of unpacking right away. It was only early afternoon, but he was already completely exhausted. Without even bothering to take off his shoes, he collapsed on the bed with one arm flung over his head and the other dangling over the edge of the bed. As soon as Seven saw him, she grew concerned. She temporarily abandoned Mezoti's electronics, dumping them on the dresser to be taken care of later.

"Are you damaged?" she inquired as she sat next to his hips. The sound of her voice caused his eyes to flutter open. His arm that had been dangling over the edge of the bed hooked around her, allowing him to draw lazy circles on her back.

"No, I'm fine," he replied. "Just tired." One of her hands rested comfortably on his chest. For a moment, she thought that something was wrong with him, it wasn't like him to just crawl into bed in the middle of the day. "I can't explain it, all I've done the past few days is laze around Kathryn's farm, and yet, I'm tired."

"It has been a physically and emotionally draining week. Perhaps it is the culmination of a week's worth of chaos and stress that has finally caught up with you." He continued to run his fingertips along her spine mindlessly.

"How about you? How are you doing?" He knew it had been difficult for her to exact such a severe punishment on Mezoti, but it was also necessary. In the past, Mezoti had committed mild infractions, resulting in small punishments, but never anything like this. He could see in Seven's eyes that she felt torn about Mezoti being grounded. Essentially it was a necessary evil.

"How I feel is irrelevant."

"Not to me. You looked stressed, sweetheart. What's wrong?"

"I am...apprehensive about Mezoti's return to school tomorrow. There are many factors that can negatively influence her academics, and I do not want this to deter her from future studies." Thoughts of Mezoti pouring over PADDs full of information and reading entire books in one afternoon came to mind. Chakotay knew that there was almost nothing that could deter Mezoti from her studies, no matter how terrible things were at school.

"I seriously doubt that that's going to happen. At this point, we just have to let events play out." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Everything will be fine."

"I wish I could share your optimism."

"Don't get stressed, sweetheart." He paused for a moment. "How about you take a nap with me?"

"A nap?"

"Yeah, you know, lay down and sleep for an hour or two in the middle of the day." She looked unamused at his explanation. She knew what a nap was, although she saw them as a horribly inefficient use of time.

"I am fully aware as to what a nap is, I was unaware that you were a small child or sick and in need of a nap." Chakotay chuckled.

"No, not a small child, just an old man who wants to take a brief nap with his girlfriend." She could hardly say no to him, especially when he looked up at him with his large brown eyes. In all honesty, spending a little bit of alone time together sounded like exactly what she needed right now.

"I guess I can comply," she sighed. Even though she wasn't the least bit tired, she crawled into bed next to him. "But only for half an hour. Lieutenants Torres and Kim have forwarded me reports on my students' progress, which I need to review before returning to the Academy tomorrow."

"Fine, only for half an hour." Satisfied that he got Seven to lay down with him, even for just half an hour, Chakotay rested his cheek against the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. Their bodies melded together, and they relaxed, simply enjoying each other's company.

Without meaning to, both Chakotay and Seven ended up dozing off. When he woke up, she was curled up with her back to him. For someone who had originally been against taking a nap, she certainly looked peaceful. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. He knew she'd said she only wanted to rest for half an hour, but he simply couldn't bring himself to wake her. Clearly she'd been far more tired than she originally anticipated. Rather than disturb her, Chakotay climbed out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair as he retreated to the privacy of his office. Just like Seven, he knew he had a whole backlog of work waiting for him.

As soon as he started up his computer, Chakotay was inundated with what seemed like dozens of missed communications from all sorts of people. Mostly it looked like friends and coworkers from Starfleet who had heard about Mezoti's disappearance and wanted to inquire as to how the family was holding up. One missed call in particular stood out to him, and he immediately returned it. His screen went blank and began to ring, telling him that the communication was being transmitted halfway across the quadrant. The ringing finally stopped, and a familiar face appeared on the computer.

"Sekaya," he greeted the moment he saw his sister's face. Only a few years younger than him, Sekaya had her older brother's same bronzed complexion and dark hair, although hers reached her mid back. Over the years, her age and the stress of being their tribe's spiritual leader had caused faint grey to streak her hair. Unlike her brother, who decided to honor their tribe with a facial tattoo, Sekaya's started on her left hand, dancing up her arm, across her shoulder and down her back. It was far larger and more elaborate, incorporating not only the symbolism from his tattoo but other tribal symbols as well. Both siblings had the same strong chins and dimples, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that they were undeniably related.

"Chakotay, I've been trying to reach you for nearly a week, I was starting to get worried. I almost contacted Starfleet to make sure everything was alright. Why haven't you been returning my calls?" Chakotay felt terrible. He had no idea Sekaya was trying to reach him, and he certainly didn't intend to cause his beloved sister to get upset.

"Sekaya, everything's alright...sort of." She looked confused. She knew something was wrong, it wasn't like him to ignore her calls like this.

"Is something wrong with Seven?" Although Sekaya had never met her brother's girlfriend in person, she did know that he was madly in love with her and would be incredibly worried if something was wrong. If he had been out of communication for as long as he had been, she couldn't help but worry that something was drastically wrong with her.

"Seven's fine," Chakotay replied. "We had a few problems with Mezoti. She got in a fight with a girl at school and then ran away from home." Sekaya's dark eyes grew wide with shock. Of all the things she imagined were wrong with her brother, she never in a million years would have come up with something like that.

"Chakotay, why didn't you tell me? Is Mezoti alright?" Just like most, she had been hesitant about her brother's ability to be a father, but she knew from his letters and their face to face communication that he had grown to care deeply for the child. Therefore, something as drastic as this caused her to worry greatly.

"She's fine," he assured. "She was at Headquarters, trying to get back to the Delta Quadrant. Seven and I took her to Kathryn's for a few days to get away from everything; we just got back a few hours ago."

"I thought you said in your last letter that Mezoti was well-behaved and easy to take care of." Sekaya had no idea where this behavior was coming from. Every time she spoke to his brother, he sang not only Seven's praises, but Mezoti's as well, outlining the meals they prepared and books they read together every night. From what she could tell, they were one perfect, happy family. This came out of nowhere.

"This girl at school lost her aunt at Wolf 359 and was teasing Mezoti mercilessly. She eventually snapped and punched the girl. Seven and I were fighting about it, and Mezoti thought it was her fault, so she ran away with the hopes of getting back to the Delta Quadrant somehow. We had police all over our house, it was awful. They thought someone had abducted her."

"Abducted her?" Even Sekaya could tell that the very notion was absolutely ridiculous, even if her adopted mother was a former Borg drone and her stepfather was a Starfleet captain. "You can't be serious. Did you tell them about the problems at home and at school?"

"Yes, we made it perfectly clear, but this detective, he seemed so convinced that someone had taken Mezoti. B'Elanna eventually found her at Headquarters. If she hadn't found her, I don't know what would have happened. She may have gotten off this planet." The thought made Chakotay feel sick to his stomach. With everything going on, he hadn't stopped to think about what could have happened if Mezoti had actually gotten onto a shuttle. She could have ended up anywhere in the quadrant. Yes, someone would have eventually found her and brought her back, but it could have taken a while for that to happen. In the grand scheme of things, they were so incredibly lucky that Mezoti came home after a day and a half. Things could have been far worse.

"I can't believe all of this was going on, Chakotay. Here I was ready to go off on you as soon as we talked, but now I feel terrible. Maybe that's what my animal guide was talking about." Now it was Chakotay's turn to look confused, prompting his sister to continue, "I was on a vision quest, and my animal guide encouraged me to contact you, telling me that something was wrong, which is why I kept trying to call you." Normally Chakotay would immediately turn to his animal guide in times of extreme duress, but he had been so caught up in making sure his family was alright that it honestly hadn't even crossed his mind to embark on a vision quest; instead, he'd focused on following his gut to figure out what to do next. Now that things had calmed down, it would be the perfect time to turn to his animal guide to ensure they were taking the right steps to ensure Mezoti would be alright.

"Well, everything's fine now," he assured. "Tomorrow, Seven and I are going back to work, and Mezoti's going back to school. Seven's a little hesitant about sending her back, but she can't hide from her fears."

"Spoken like a true Maquis," Sekaya teased. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm afraid not." He paused. Not wanting to talk anymore about the problems that had befallen his family, Chakotay instead asked, "How are things back home? How are the children?" He hadn't seen his nephews in nearly a decade. At this point, they were teenagers, not the two small toddlers he left behind when he fled to the Maquis. They were definitely enough to keep his sister on her toes.

"Everyone and everything is going fine," Sekaya replied. "The boys are doing great. Honovi has become interested in agriculture. He's absolutely wonderful at it; he can make crops grow anywhere. Sipatu is destined to be a great spiritual leader."

"Just like his mother." Chakotay could see his sister swell with pride at the analogy. He knew she did a fantastic job at leading their tribe, and he had no doubt that his nephew would be just as successful as his mother, especially if she was the one training him. Their tribe was lucky to have such a strong woman leading them on such important matters. "I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well."

"You know, you could come see them for yourself. It's been too long." That was definitely an understatement. They'd talked many times since Chakotay's return to the quadrant, but their chaotic schedules meant that they were unable to see each other in person. He sighed.

"I know, I know. As soon as I get a decent amount of leave, I promise. I want to see you, and I want you to meet Seven and Mezoti." Sekaya was one of the most important people in his life, and he wanted nothing more than for her to meet Seven and see how special she was.

"You better." Sekaya may be younger than him, but she was the one who called all the shots, and both of them knew it. Even as children, she could manipulate him into doing just about anything, she was his beloved baby sister after all. The trip to his home planet may be long, but it would be worth it to spend some time with his tribe and, most importantly, his family.

 **Author's Note:** Happy new year...a week late. One of my new year's resolutions is to get back into my writing. I have so many wonderful ideas, keep an eye out for them!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Seven's stomach was in knots as she pulled on her emerald green bodysuit and twisted her arm around her back to zip herself up. Accustomed to doing so on her own, it was a fairly easy task. Once she was zipped up, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror with her chin jutted up ever so slightly as she appraised her appearance with scrutinizing eyes. Every hair was carefully pinned in place, and she was satisfied with her presentable appearance.

"Mezoti, we need to depart earlier than usual," she announced as she stalked down the hall with her usual, confident gait; breezing past Mezoti's bedroom door in the process.

"Huh? Why?" Mezoti inquired as she stumbled out of her bedroom. Although she was already dressed in a pair of navy blue tights and deep red dress, her hair stuck up all over the place, and she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"I intend to speak to your principal before school starts." The color drained from Mezoti's face. She thought they had to leave early because her mom had to get to the Academy early; the last thing she wanted was for her to talk to the principal.

"No, you don't need to do that," she sputtered defiantly. "It's unnecessary." Her mind spun at warp speed as she tried to think of a reason for her mother not to talk to the principal and make matters worse.

"I am the adult here, and I have decided that it is necessary." Seven had no patience dealing with Mezoti's defiance. She was the adult here, and she was the one calling the shots, which included talking to administration before school. There was no way she was going to let her daughter make decisions here. Besides, whether Mezoti realized it or not, she was doing this for her, to put an end to the torment she suffered at school. "Now, finish getting dressed quickly while I replicate your breakfast. We will depart in ten minutes." Groaning loudly in protest, Mezoti rolled her eyes and stomped back to her bedroom. Just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse, it did.

Downstairs, Chakotay was in a hurry to get out the door. He quickly downed his cup of coffee while glancing over information on a PADD clutched in his other hand. Walking at her usual quickened pace, Seven stalked across the kitchen and replicated two nutritional supplements; it was the only meal she could provide Mezoti that would allow them to get out the door quickly and efficiently.

"Do you have plans for lunch today?" Chakotay asked, breaking the tense silence that enveloped the couple.

Seven finished taking a sip of her nutritional supplement and replied, "I can't, I'm sorry." She knew he wanted to meet up for lunch, and it was very kind of him as it would be a wonderful distraction from all the apprehensions she currently felt, but today simply wasn't a good day; there was too much to get done. "I have to ascertain what material my students have covered while I was gone. Finals are only a few weeks away, and I must ensure that my students are adequately prepared." Chakotay leaned over and kissed Seven's forehead.

"I understand," he murmured before pulling away. She rested her free hand on his chest. He could see the weariness in her eyes. "Everything is going to be alright, sweetheart, I promise."

"I am just apprehensive about how Mezoti will be received at school. It was well broadcasted on the news what she did, therefore her peers will be aware. What if that perpetuates the teasing she is already enduring?"

"Then we'll support her through this. I think it's good that you're talking to administration today, show them that we won't tolerate this." When they first enrolled Mezoti in this school, they were promised that everyone would be open and receptive to her presence. Clearly, that wasn't the case, and neither one of them wanted Mezoti to have to endure more teasing and ridicule.

Further conversation was cut off by the pounding of feet down the stairs. Mezoti hopped down the steps into the living room and back up the stairs into the kitchen, causing the various treasures artfully arranged on the shelves to shudder in place. Seven glared angrily at her; she'd told her more times than she could count not to do that, not that she listened.

"Mama, you _can't_ go talk to Mrs. Stevenson," Mezoti pleaded with desperation. "Everyone already makes fun of me at school and thinks I'm weird. If you go talk to her, it'll only make things worse. Please don't." While Seven felt bad for her daughter's plight, there wasn't much she could do about it. Whether she realized it or not, she was doing it in her best interest.

"My mind has been made up, and nothing you can say will make me change it," Seven stated firmly as she handed over Mezoti's nutritional supplement. Scowling, she took a small sip. She hated nutritional supplements and wanted a real breakfast, not this thick, tasteless drink. This morning just kept getting worse and worse.

"Please don't. I promise I'll behave. I'll be a perfect daughter from now on, just don't talk to the principal." A few tears welled up in Mezoti's eyes, prompting Chakotay to step in; he hated seeing her upset like this. Somewhat of an objective spectator, he could see both sides of the argument, but he had to side with Seven on this one; something had to be done to prevent the teasing from continuing.

"Zoti, Mama isn't doing this to be cruel, she just wants to make sure everything is alright. It's her job as a parent," he interjected. "Arguing with her is pointless."

"But other students are going to make fun of me."

"What others think of you is irrelevant." Seven put down her glass and crouched down in front of Mezoti. "You know you are smart and have people who love you. I know it is difficult for you, but you must shut out the others. They are bringing you down and causing you emotional turmoil. Ignore them and focus on all the positive aspects of your life. Understand?"

"Yes, Mama," Mezoti whispered. She knew she was right, but it was so difficult for her to shut out the others. Her mom always did a fantastic job of shutting out the opinions of others, but she had no idea how to do so; it was just so hard. Seven cupped Mezoti's cheek in her implant encrusted hand for a moment before standing up.

"We need to leave. Finish your breakfast." Mezoti scrunched up her nose in protest as she drained her glass of the thick liquid. Seven kissed Chakotay quickly on the lips before recycling her glass and heading towards the front door.

As Mezoti turned to leave, Chakotay called after her, "Mezoti." She turned around to face him. "No matter what, you're a wonderful girl, and anyone who speaks poorly of you is just jealous." With a smile plastered across her face, she threw her arms around his waist. Somehow, he always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better.

"I love you, Chakotay." He smoothed down her hair affectionately.

"I love you too, Zoti." The words felt so natural to him, as if he'd been saying them forever. It was a paternal love that he'd never felt before, a desire to ensure that this little girl who'd stolen his heart only had the best of everything in the galaxy and never felt a millisecond of pain or discomfort. With any luck, that dream would now become a reality. He kissed her forehead softly. She gave his waist a squeeze before darting to the front door. For some reason, his words made her feel infinitely better, even if they had been incredibly simple and straightforward.

By the time Seven landed the shuttle in front of the school, Mezoti felt sick to her stomach with worry, despite the repeated assurances from both her parents. Thankfully, they were still early enough that there only a handful of children on the playground. Usually Seven didn't bother turning off the shuttle when she dropped Mezoti off, but since she was talking to the principal, she killed the engine and got to her feet. Mezoti's limbs felt like lead as she yanked on her backpack. For a moment, she thought about protesting further, begging her mother to reconsider, but she ultimately decided against it. She knew her mother was incredibly stubborn, and once she decided on something, it was nearly impossible to talk her out of it. She might as well deal with it and hope for the best.

Just like the playground, the main office was more or less deserted, with the exception of the Bajoran secretary who never seemed to do her job properly but always seemed to be there, fully prepared to do absolutely nothing. Seven stood in front of the secretary and folded her arms behind her back.

"I am here to speak to the principal," she announced without bothering to wait for the secretary to look up from her work; she was a woman on a mission and didn't want to waste any time. Annoyed at being interrupted, the secretary looked up from her work and rolled her eyes in annoyance. If Seven saw the act of disrespect, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Mrs. Stevenson is busy," she replied in a bored tone before attempting to go back to her work.

"I am aware that I do not have an appointment, but it is important. I can wait." With her typical look of determination, Seven stood directly in front of the desk. Figuring that the sooner she got the principal, the sooner she would get this overbearing woman away from her, she secretary temporarily abandoned her work.

With an annoyed sigh, she pressed a button on the comm system built into the computer and sighed, "Mrs. Stevenson, that drone and her daughter are here." Seven's already frustrated expression hardened. How could the children be expected to treat Mezoti with respect when the adults in the building were talking like that? She'd been assured that every staff member would be more than tolerant towards Mezoti, but now she was starting to have some doubts. Perhaps this wasn't the best placement for Mezoti.

"I'm on my way." Within moments, Mrs. Stevenson emerged from her office. As soon as the kind, smiling face of Mrs. Stevenson emerged from her office, however, some of Seven's doubts were chased away. At least one adult here looked like she cared about Mezoti. "Mezoti, I'm so glad you're alright. We were so worried about you here." She put a kind hand on Mezoti's shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. Mezoti had come here prepared to stand up for herself, but she found the principal's actions oddly comforting, causing her to relax slightly. "Ms. Seven, please, let's talk in my office." She motioned towards the open door.

Seven turned to Mezoti and instructed, "Wait here. We will only be a few minutes."

"Fine." Mezoti knew they were going to talk about her, and she hated that. The least they could do was talk about her to her face, not behind her back. Rather than make a scene, however, she threw herself down on one of the chairs that lined the wall of windows that separated the office from the main entrance and waited for her mother to reemerge.

Mrs. Stevenson closed the door behind Seven, giving the two of them the privacy they needed for such a delicate conversation. The principal took a seat behind her desk while Seven sat across from her in the same seat she'd occupied when she'd been summoned there a week earlier. So much had happened since then, it felt like a lifetime had passed, not a mere week, so much had happened over such a short period of time.

"I want to tell you how relieved I was when Mezoti was found safe," Mrs. Stevenson started. The way her dark eyes shined with emotion told Seven that she was genuine and honestly felt concerned about the well-being of her students. "I was absolutely worried sick. I tried contacting you and your partner, but my call went unanswered. I figured you wanted some space as a family."

"I appreciate your concern. We took Mezoti to visit a family friend for several days, but she is back and fully prepared to carry out her punishment."

"That's something I want to talk to you about." Mrs. Stevenson leaned forward and folded her hands neatly in front of her. "I had a long conversation with Naya and Priya, along with several other students. It has been made clear to me that Mezoti was being bullied by both girls and was pushed to lash out. While I cannot condone Mezoti's actions, I am willing to have her serve recess detention, not after school detention, for the next week." The offer surprised Seven. In no way did Seven want Mezoti excused from her punishment; she had to learn to be accountable for her actions, especially something as serious as striking another student. Although, on the other hand, she was relieved to hear that the bullying had finally come to light; that was the main reason she was here.

"I do not want my daughter to get preferential treatment. She knows better than to strike other students."

"I believe you, and I firmly believe that Mezoti won't do it again. When you've been a principal for as long as I have, you can tell the good students from the bad students, and Mezoti is an exceptional student." Normally Seven would feel proud of Mezoti for getting such a glowing compliment, but, right now, she was still frustrated with her for acting the way she did.

"I can assure you that from now on, Mezoti will be nothing less than a perfect, model student. The expectations have been made clear to her at home, and anything less will not be tolerated." Mrs. Stevenson had to admit that she was glad to have such a strong willed, supportive parent on her side, but, at the same time, she worried that the pressure to be perfect could cause Mezoti to become even more stressed.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Mezoti will be a wonderful student." The principal could see in Seven's eyes that there was something else bothering her. "Ms. Seven, what else is on your mind?"

"I am concerned about how Mezoti has been treated by both students and now by staff. I understand that children are often confused and will speak their minds, regardless of the impropriety. I have explained that to Mezoti several times, and it is my hope that, over time, the students here will come to regard her as little more than another student, no different than them. Children, however, will imitate the adults around them, including their teachers and other authority figures at school. I spent several years on a starship, and my partner is a Starfleet Captain, so I am aware of the importance of not questioning those in command when it comes to their subordinates, so I do not mean any disrespect, but I am also concerned about what just transpired out in your main office. My daughter and I are no longer drones, therefore, referring to us accordingly can be considered derogatory." In all honesty, Mrs. Stevenson hadn't even initially noticed that the secretary had referred to Seven and Mezoti as drones, she'd only been partially paying attention to the conversation. Now that she thought about it, she was utterly mortified and horrified that her secretary had done such a heartless thing. As part of the main office staff, she was held to a higher standard and was expected to treat all guests with respect, no matter what.

"You're absolutely correct, and you have my deepest apologies. As soon as this conversation is over, I'll be having a very long conversation with my secretary about appropriate behavior." She paused. "Has Mezoti spoken about any other staff members making inappropriate comments?" While Mrs. Stevenson had been fully prepared for there to be problems with other students accepting Mezoti, she never thought that she'd have to have a conversation with her staff about how to treat the little girl.

"Not to my knowledge." Then again, Seven had no idea Mezoti was being bullied by Naya until a week ago, so it's unlikely she'd know if staff members were making insensitive comments.

"Well, I'll review standard procedures about respecting other races and cultures with all my staff. This is a multi-racial school, and we're extremely welcoming of all species. I was hoping to learn more about the Delta Quadrant and Norcadians from Mezoti."

"Mezoti has no memory of her time on Norcadia Prime," Seven explained with a slight edge to her voice that resulted from her negative experiences with the planet, not that she would ever hold that against Mezoti. "But I am sure she would be happy to tell you about the Delta Quadrant." She stood up. "I have to leave for work, but please do not hesitate to contact me if any problems arise. You should not expect any problems from Mezoti. She has been made aware of the expectations we have for her." Mrs. Stevenson stood up and extended her hand. Seven had a surprisingly firm grip as she shook her hand.

"I will." Satisfied, Seven turned to leave. She was already going to be a few minutes late to work, but that was irrelevant. It was far more important for her to ensure Mezoti was alright than be on time to work. Based on the assurances from Mrs. Stevenson, she felt confident that things would gradually become better for Mezoti.

Time seemed to drag on for Mezoti. She had no idea what her mother and Mrs. Stevenson could talk so much about for this long. She knew they were talking about her, which only made her more nervous; she hated when adults talked about her behind her back, it made her feel like she wasn't there. She kicked her feet back and forth and stared nervously at the ground while chewing on her bottom lip. Finally, the door to the principal's office opened, and both her mother and Mrs. Stevenson emerged. As they crossed the office, Mezoti saw Mrs. Stevenson glower at the secretary. It was a brief glance, something most people wouldn't notice, but it filled Mezoti with intrigue as she pushed herself to her feet.

"Mrs. Stevenson has graciously allowed for you to serve detention at recess, not after school detention," Seven explained as she stood over her daughter. "You are expected to be the perfect student from here on out, understood?"

"Yes, Mama." Mrs. Stevenson wished more parents had such an authoritarian grip on their children, perhaps then she wouldn't have a revolving door of troublesome students coming in and out of her office all day. It was always the same pattern: they committed some sort of infraction, came to the office, feigned remorse in the hopes of leniency, were punished and the repeated the process several days later after they seemed to "forget" that they felt bad for getting in trouble the first time around.

"Chakotay will pick you up after school. I will see you when I return home." Mezoti gave her mother a quick hug, which Seven returned. Her steely exterior temporarily faded away, and Mrs. Stevenson saw a kindly woman who clearly loved her daughter more than anything else.

"Mezoti, how about you go outside and play with the rest of the students until school starts?" Mrs. Stevenson suggested. Mezoti considered pointing out that she didn't have any friends or anyone to play with outside, but she ultimately decided to keep that comment to herself as she headed outside; she had a book in her bag, which was more than enough to keep her entertained.

Before leaving, Seven shook Mrs. Stevenson's hand one last time and said, "Thank you again for your support. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you encounter any issues."

"Likewise." Seven's gaze lingered on the offensive secretary for a few moments, but Mrs. Stevenson's gaze told her that she would take care of the situation with the secretary accordingly. Despite her previous hesitations, she knew that everything was going to work out for Mezoti, given enough time that is.

Outside, Mezoti could feel the stares of other students boring deep into her and often paired with not so hushed whispers as students shared juicy pieces of gossip with each other. It felt worse than usual. In the past, they only stared at her because of her implants and her so-called sordid past. Now, however, she knew they were staring at her because her little exploit had been broadcast all over the news in an attempt to find her while she hid at Headquarters. It hadn't taken long for the information to spread all across the school, and now everyone knew and couldn't stop talking about it. Things like that simply didn't happen, not around here. For that reason, Mezoti was even more famous than she already was on the schoolyard, but nobody had the guts to approach her. Instead, they all decided to stare at her from a distance, whispering and gossiping openly, as if she was something on display to be gawked at.

Remembering what her parents said about ignoring the students who gave her a hard time, Mezoti found a secluded spot in the shade and threw herself down on the ground with her book in her hands. At least when she read she could momentarily forget about all the people staring at her and retreat to her own private world. It wasn't the same as reading with Chakotay, but it was the best she was going to get.

Mezoti had barely started reading her book when she heard someone call out, "Mezoti!" Right as she glanced up from her book, she felt a pair of arms flung around her shoulders, pulling her into a strong, awkward hug given her current position seated on the ground. "I heard what happened, and I was so worried about you." It took Mezoti a moment to realize that it was Axuna who was gushing over her. Once she realized who it was, she didn't know how to react. Just a week ago, Axuna refused to even look at her, and now, here she was with her arms wrapped around her shoulders and tears in her eyes. Mezoti uncomfortably returned the hug and patted her friend on the back in an attempt to free herself from her ironclad grip. She still couldn't figure out what was going on here. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Axuna released her from her powerful grip and sat on the ground next to her. "I tried to call you, but nobody answered. I thought you were gone for good."

"We, uhh, we went to visit a friend for a few days," Mezoti explained hoarsely as she attempted to make sense of everything. "We returned yesterday."

"I'm so sorry, Mezoti, this is all my fault. I was so mean to you. Naya and Priya, they were making fun of me too, saying that I was a part of your Collective and that you were going to assimilate me." A few stray tears slipped down Axuna's cheek, telling Mezoti that her friend was genuinely apologetic for her terrible actions.

"I would never do anything like that," Mezoti insisted. She couldn't believe that Axuna would stop talking to her because of something like that. They were best friends, and then she believed those horrible lies just like that; she should have known better.

"I know that, but I got tired of the comments, they were so cruel, and I thought they'd stop if I….if I kept my distance from you. I feel like this is my fault. If I stood up to Naya for you, maybe you wouldn't have hit her, and you wouldn't have run away." Axuna's emotions got the better of her, and she began to cry openly. "I'm so sorry, Mezoti," she said through tears. "This is all my fault."

"No it isn't," Mezoti argued. "Naya has been teasing me ever since I got here, and I don't think she's going to stop anytime soon."

"Still, I shouldn't have abandoned you. Do you forgive me?" Not one to hold grudges, Mezoti threw her arms around Axuna and gave her a hug. She could see in her friend's eyes that she was honestly remorseful. At least one thing about today seemed to be a little bit better than she expected.

The bell rang, indicating it was time to head inside. Both Axuna and Mezoti got to their feet. Mezoti shoved her temporarily forgotten book into her backpack, which she then swung over her shoulder. Even though students continued to stare and whisper, she held her head high. With Axuna by her side, she felt even more confident than before, like nothing could stop her now.

"Will I see you at lunch and recess?" Axuna asked hopefully as they began to head inside with the rest of the students, who seemed to give her a wide berth, not that she was complaining.

"Not at recess," she replied. "I have to serve detention with Mrs. Stevenson."

"For how long?" She shrugged.

"A week or two." Originally she had to serve after school detention for two weeks, so she assumed she would have to serve recess detention for the same amount of time, although that hadn't been specified, and she wasn't going to ask. She was more than willing to serve her detention for as long as necessary, she had hit another student after all. The news of spending two more weeks alone at recess caused Axuna's face to fall with despair. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. We'll still have lunch together," Axuna added with a smile in an attempt to lift their spirits. If spending lunch together was the best they were going to get, then they would have to make the most of it.

Inside, Axuna and Mezoti parted ways, each heading towards their respective classrooms with the promise that they would meet up to spend lunch together. Although Mezoti had no intention of talking about when she'd run away, she couldn't wait to tell her friend about the time she spent at Admiral Kathryn's. Seeing as Axuna was obsessed with everything related to _Voyager_ , she would undoubtedly be jealous and want to hear every little detail about it, which Mezoti would happily oblige.

Thoughts of lunch and everything she and Axuna were going to talk about were dashed from Mezoti's mind as soon as she entered her classroom and saw Naya. The sight caused her to stop short, nearly causing a student walking behind her to mow her down. As soon as she regained herself, she began walking, purposefully keeping her head down and averting her gaze. She was under strict orders from her parents to avoid Naya at any cost, not that she wanted anything to do with her. Despite the fact that they were in the same class, Mezoti felt confident that she would be able to do so.

Unfortunately, that was made more difficult by Naya, who sneered, "Oh, you're back. I thought you were sent back to your Cube." Mezoti kept her head down and headed for her cubby, but Priya jumped in, purposefully stepping in her way, blocking her path.

"We hoped you were gone for good," she added. Not wanting to get in more trouble, Mezoti elbowed past her in an attempt to get to her cubby.

"Don't push me!" Priya shrieked over dramatically, instantly grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. In a flash, Ms. Coalburg was on her feet and across the room to prevent the incident from going any further.

"Naya, Priya, hallway, now," she ordered as she pointed towards the door. There was a certain fire in her eyes as she fumed over the blatant disregard for Mrs. Stevenson's orders to leave Mezoti alone. Never before had Mezoti seen her act like that, she was always so laid back and cheerful. As far as she could remember, she'd never even heard her raise her voice; it was one of the reasons she was so fond of her.

"But she pushed me," Priya argued. Mezoti's eyes grew wide as she spun around to face Ms. Coalburg in the hopes that she wouldn't get in trouble already.

"I didn't mean to, I swear." She'd barely been in the classroom three minutes, and she was already creating problems, which went against her mother's directions. A few tears welled up in her eyes, she didn't want to get in trouble already, she really wanted to avoid trouble at every cost. When she looked at Mezoti, Ms. Coalburg's gaze immediately softened.

"I know," she comforted. "Go have a seat, Mezoti. I'll be right there." Mezoti quickly put her books away and hustled over to her seat while Ms. Coalburg escorted Naya and Priya out into the hall, partially closing the door behind her. Several students skirted away from her, and nobody bothered to ask if she was alright.

As Mezoti sat at her desk and got herself situated for the day, she could hear Ms. Coalburg reprimanding Naya and Priya out in the hallway, thanks to her enhanced hearing from her implants. She kept her head down and focused her attention on completing her daily warmup on her PADD, but she couldn't help but listen as well.

"You both have been warned to leave Mezoti alone. I thought Mrs. Stevenson and I made that abundantly clear to you. You will both be joining me for recess today."

"That's not fair!" It sounded like Naya's voice, but it was difficult to tell. "She pushed Priya."

"You were told not to even talk to Mezoti or this would happen. She was barely in the door, and you were already harassing her. You better believe that Mrs. Stevenson and your parents will find out. Don't you dare protest, you were warned. Now go inside, don't say another word to Mezoti or anyone else. Understood?" There was a muttered response, and both girls returned to the classroom with the heads hung in shame. All eyes immediately diverted from them to their work in an attempt to make it look like they had been working the entire time, but they weren't fooling Ms. Coalburg as she pursed her lips and glared at Naya and Priya. They may look innocent and remorseful, but she wasn't buying it; they were only remorseful because they got in trouble. With any luck, they learned their lesson and would leave Mezoti alone from now on, but she would keep an eye on the situation just to be sure.

Despite her attempt to catch up on work yesterday, Seven was feeling completely overwhelmed. While Harry and B'Elanna had obviously done their best to leave behind a detailed record of what they had covered while she was gone, she still found gaps in their reports, meaning she had to go into her classes blind with speculation. Additionally, it appeared that they covered different content in different classes, meaning some classes learned material that others didn't. As a result, Seven was scrambling to determine what still needed to be taught and to whom before the end of the term in a few weeks. She still had time before then, but she still had quite a bit of material to cover as well. Her absence for the past several days had put her students behind, therefore she had to rearrange her curriculum. She would adapt, but it would take some creative planning to get through everything.

Seven's work was interrupted by a knock on her door. Frustration built up inside of her. She only had an hour before she had to leave for her next class, and she had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. She considered turning away the visitor but ultimately decided against it.

"Enter," she called without looking up from her computer. The door opened and closed again. When she glanced up, she saw Harry standing in the doorway looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Lieutenant Kim," Seven greeted, obviously surprised by his visit. She pushed her computer to the side. "Is something the matter?" While she considered Harry a friend, he wasn't the type of person to show up out of the blue for a social visit, especially when he had his own work to do at Headquarters.

"No, I knew you and Chakotay were coming back today, and I thought I'd see how you guys are doing." Without bothering waiting for an invitation, Harry took a seat across from Seven and made himself comfortable.

"We are fine," she stated bluntly, deciding to stick just to the facts. "Mezoti has returned to school, and Chakotay and I have returned to work. Everything is back to normal." She paused for a moment. "I do want to thank you and Lieutenant Torres for your kindness. You did not have to take time out of your day to instruct my students. If there is any way I can repay you, please do not hesitate to let me know. I owe you a great deal of gratitude." Harry scoffed at the notion of having to be thanked. He might have gotten over his little crush on Seven from several years ago, but he would still do anything to help her; it's what friends did.

"Seven, I know I speak for myself and B'Elanna when I say that you don't owe us anything. It was exciting being in the classroom, and it was a great break from pouring over the same information at Pathfinder day in and day out, although your new algorithm has given us so much more to work with." Seven still had her doubts about returning to the Delta Quadrant, but she figured since the Federation was determined to explore there anyway, she might as well be there to ensure things were done safely and up to her exacting standards. For that reason, a certain sense of pride swelled inside her chest when she heard that her algorithm was working as it expected.

"If you change your mind, be sure to inform me. I wish to compensate you for your kindness." Harry stopped to think. Seven seemed awfully determined to make it up to him and B'Elanna somehow. When they'd agreed to cover their classes, they'd done so because they wanted to, because it sounded fun and exciting, not because they expected anything in return; they were both doing it to help their friends.

"Actually, there is something you can do for me." Intrigued, Seven raised her eyebrow and waited for him to continue. "Spend time with Mezoti and your family." Seven looked confused. Spending time with her family hardly seemed like an appropriate way to make it up to Harry. "You've been so focused on your career. When's the last time you and Chakotay spent time together?" Harry didn't mean to pry, but he knew Seven well enough at this point to know that she was devoting nearly all her attention on work and none on her relationship with Chakotay, which was equally important.

"My relationship with Chakotay is irrelevant." The words sounded harsh and came out wrong; it made it sound like she didn't care about Chakotay, which couldn't be further from the truth. She simply didn't see why any of that was Harry's concern. She felt uncomfortable enough talking about it with Kathryn, who she considered a much closer friend.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Harry sighed as he got to his feet. "Just think about it, Seven. Make sure you and Chakotay are taking care of yourselves and your daughter." With his words still hanging in the air, Harry left. Like Seven, he had a lot to get done today and only had a few minutes to steal away before being dragged back to work.

Returning to school hadn't been nearly as bad as Mezoti thought. Yes, sitting in an empty room in the office during recess was boring, but it was only for half an hour, and it wasn't like she usually used that time to run around and play like the other children. It was unfortunate that she couldn't spend that time with Axuna, especially given the fact that their friendship was back on track, but at least they had lunch and before school to spend time together. They would be able to survive two weeks without seeing each other at recess.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Mezoti gathered up her belongings and headed out the door. As she passed by Naya and Priya, she could have sworn she saw the two of them glare at her, but it was a fleeting glance that she ignored as she shouldered past them and headed outside to where Chakotay waited for her. By the end of the day, many of her peers already started ignoring her, having already grown accustomed to her reappearance and grown bored with the incessant gossip. Others, however, continued to stare and gossip, but Mezoti did her best to hold her head high and ignore them, just like her mom told her. It was difficult, as she knew they were talking about her, but she kept telling herself that they didn't matter to her, that their opinions were irrelevant.

After the stress of the past few days, it felt wonderful to Chakotay to get back into a routine. Just like usual, he stood outside of his shuttle and watched as children spilled out of the front door, pouring across the playground and dashing onto their respective shuttles to go home. His eyes flitted back and forth across the hoards of children in search of Mezoti. When he didn't see her right away, he started to grow nervous. He knew he was being ridiculous, of course she would be there, he was just being fearful like Seven; she was just taking her time.

Right as Chakotay was about to head inside in search of Mezoti, he caught sight of her wandering down the front steps of the building with Axuna by her side. At least the two of them appeared to have made up. Mezoti smiled as she gave Axuna a hug, and they parted ways. She then wove her way through the throngs of students still lingering, either talking to friends or waiting for their shuttles to arrive, appearing in front of Chakotay.

"How was school today?" he asked as he took her backpack just like he always did and lead her into the shuttle.

"It was decent," she replied indifferently. Chakotay took a seat at the con, and Mezoti sat next to him. He started up the flyer, and they were on their way home.

Not wanting to beat around the bush, he asked, "Did Naya and Priya give you any problems?" Of all the things that worried him today, that had been his main concern. He knew how cruel children could be towards each other, and these girls obviously had no problem treating Mezoti poorly. She shrugged indifferently and looked out the window, watching the landscape fly past them. Her reaction spoke volumes, instantly telling him that they had done something to her. "Zoti, you know you can tell me anything." His voice was gentle as he coaxed her to tell him what had transpired.

"They said they thought I went back to my Cube and had hoped I wasn't returning. I kept trying to ignore them, but they wouldn't leave me alone." Mezoti's voice rose in frustration. She'd been fine about her encounter with the pair until she had to recount it.

"What did you do?" For a moment, Chakotay feared that she lashed out again, but neither him nor Seven had gotten any calls at work about her behavior, which was a good sign.

"Ms. Coalburg saw and stopped them. Then she yelled at them in the hallway. They left me alone for the duration of the day."

"Good." Chakotay was relieved to hear the teacher had stepped in and done her job to prevent any future problems. "If they start harassing you, I want you to tell an adult immediately, do you understand?" His forceful tone caught her off guard. Usually he was pretty laid back and easy going, but he was surprisingly stern right now.

"Yes, Sir." She knew he typically disregarded such formalities, but it seemed like an appropriate response to his firm command. She had no problem with complying, as she had absolutely no intention of talking to Naya or Priya unless absolutely necessary, and even then she had serious reservations about that.

After an uneventful evening at home, Mezoti retreated to the basement to regenerate, giving her parents some much needed privacy in their bedroom. Both of them had been worried sick all day that things would go horribly wrong for Mezoti at school, so it was a relief that the only problem had been a brief altercation with Naya and Priya, which had been nipped in the bud almost immediately. With any luck, the two girls would forget about tormenting Mezoti soon enough, allowing her to be a normal little girl like them. Until then, both silently vowed to monitor the situation. Seven was relieved that administration seemed to support them wholeheartedly.

Chakotay sat on the edge of his side of the bed. As he kicked off his shoes, he felt a pair of arm wrap around his shoulders from behind and a pair of lips trail along his jaw. With a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he turned to face Seven. She pecked him playfully as her fingers trailed down his chest, tugging at the zipper.

"What are you doing?" he asked even though it seemed obvious enough.

"I have realized that the intimate side of our relationship may have been lacking over the past few weeks, and I am taking this opportunity to rectify the situation," Seven explained as she continued to unzip Chakotay's uniform in an attempt to get rid of it, although it was easier said than done given her current position behind him.

"Well I can't complain, but I think you'll find this a bit easier if you're like this." Chakotay twisted his body around so he was facing Seven, allowing him to loop his arm around her waist, pulling her to straddle his lap. It was an awkward encounter, but she figured out what he was doing and sat on his lap. Now that they were face to face, Seven could properly unzip his outer tunic while kissing him softly. Chakotay's lips moved against hers as his hand drifted to the back of her head, unpinning her hair and sending it tumbling to her shoulders in delicate waves. Seven momentarily pulled away and shook out her hair, giving him the opportunity to shed his outer tunic completely, throwing it carelessly to the side.

Without warning, Seven pushed Chakotay back so he was lying on the bed and climbed on top of him. One of his hands drifted along her side until it rested comfortably on her behind while she laced her fingers with his other hand and pinned it next to his head. Their lips latched together, both fighting for dominance while simultaneously enjoying the feeling of their lips pressed together. Chakotay couldn't help but moan softly, causing her to smile with pleasure, knowing that she was the one who caused him to react that way. Even after all the times they'd been together, she still enjoyed finding new ways to give him pleasure while simultaneously bringing herself pleasure as well. Based on how his body reacted to her touch as she trailed her fingers underneath his remaining shirt and along his abdomen, causing his muscles to contract, not that that deterred her. In fact, it only encouraged her to continue what she was doing, searching for a way to excite him. Chakotay's fingers trailed back up along her spine, eagerly searching for the annoyingly small zipper to her bodysuit. It took some awkward searching as he continued to kiss Seven and react to her tantalizing touch, but he eventually found the tiny piece of metal, tugging it down to her lower back and running his fingertips along her silky soft flesh, sending shivers down her spine. Despite how drained they felt just moments earlier, they suddenly felt wide awake and ready for a long night full of physical activity.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

When Chakotay took a seat at his desk, the first thing he noticed was a strange PADD waiting for him, indicating someone had been there before he arrived and left it for him. With any luck, it would be the report he was waiting for, as he couldn't complete his own report without it, which stressed him out and put him behind schedule.

Intrigued and simultaneously hopeful, he picked it up and started to read, "You and your loved ones are cordially invited to a celebration at Starfleet Headquarters to honor the one year anniversary of the return of the _U.S.S. Voyager_ to the Alpha Quadrant. It will be an evening of festivities, reunions and reminiscing." Following the annoyingly upbeat introduction was further instructions, including the time, date and location. It would be exactly on the one year anniversary. It was a school night, but Chakotay felt confident that Seven would allow Mezoti to go, with a little prodding from him that is; she was just as much a member of the crew as anyone else and deserved to be there to celebrate as well.

It was hard to believe they'd been back for nearly a year; it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened over the course of the year that it seemed so much longer. With everything that had been going on over the past week and a half, Chakotay had honestly forgotten. Even when he wrote the date on the top of his reports, it didn't dawn on him that the anniversary was coming up. It would be wonderful to see his friends again, some of whom had scattered all across Federation space shortly after returning to Earth so they could see their own families. The hardest adjustment to returning to the Alpha Quadrant had been not being with everyone on a regular basis. After seven years together, they were a family and had grown accustomed to each other's presence. Yes, Chakotay didn't talk to every single member of the crew every day while on _Voyager_ , but he had taken for granted the fact that he could talk to them and spend time with them if he so desired. Now that they were apart, however, he found that he missed Chell's childish sense of humor, Ayala's unwavering support and even Tuvok's obnoxious logic and fastidious adherence to the rules. Having everyone together again, even for a few hours, sounded like paradise. Chakotay couldn't wait to attend the reunion, not out of a sense of duty as the starship's First Officer, but because he couldn't wait to see his friends again.

As Chakotay put the invitation to the side, a sudden thought hit him like a phaser blast and nearly sent him reeling backwards with surprise. If the anniversary of _Voyager_ 's return was approaching, that meant that his anniversary with Seven was fast approaching as well. By his estimate, it was in two weeks, and he had absolutely nothing planned. Normally such events wouldn't bother him, but it was their one year anniversary, which was a huge milestone for both of them, and he wanted to celebrate it properly. With only two weeks to plan, however, he had no idea where to start. Seven would undoubtedly want to let the milestone pass with minimal festivities and treat it like another day, but he wanted to do something special. So few of his relationships ever made it to this marker, and he was confident that there would be many anniversaries to come in the future, but this was their first, therefore it should be celebrated. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to go about planning their anniversary. He would have to get creative here, which wasn't exactly his area of expertise.

After a long morning of pouring over reports, data and endless piles of paperwork, Chakotay was ready for an early lunch; his brain could only absorb information for so long before needing a break. One nice part about working in an office job like this was the fact that he had the freedom to make decisions like that. Seven, on the other hand, was still unavailable for another forty-five minutes, meaning he couldn't surprise her for lunch. Deciding that he simply couldn't stand the thought of being cooped up inside his office for even a moment longer, he abandoned his work and headed down to the mess hall where at least he could get a break from the smothering four walls that made up his office. As he headed across the large building, he wove his way through Starfleet officers of all ranks and races, all going about their day. Some appeared to be heading in the direction of the mess hall, but most seemed to be coming to or from meetings or running errands. All in all, it was another typical day at Starfleet Headquarters.

In the mess hall, Chakotay had barely started to dig into his food when two trays appeared across from him. He'd purposefully chosen a small table off to the side of the large room so he could eat by himself, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. When he glanced up to protest, he saw that it was B'Elanna and Tom, who apparently took a page out of his book and thought an early lunch was ideal. There were worse people to share a meal with.

"Make yourself at home," he joked.

"Good, because that's the plan," B'Elanna shot back as she took a seat next to her husband.

"So did you get an invitation to the one year anniversary celebration?" Tom asked before shoveling a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"Of course," Chakotay replied.

"It seemed a bit pretentious to me," B'Elanna said in an annoyed tone. "They make it sound like it's some big deal, just let us celebrate how we want, not how Starfleet wants us to celebrate." Tom nodded in agreement. Now that Chakotay thought about it, the invitation did seem a bit formal, which wasn't how the crew of _Voyager_ was at all; they were all about informal celebrations and impromptu gatherings in the mess hall to enjoy each other's company. This was Starfleet's celebration, not their own.

He took a sip of his water and said, "I'm sure after a few years they'll forget about it completely and let us celebrate how we want. Until then, we might as well show up, smile and do what they ask." He glanced at Tom. "Especially if you're still eyeing that promotion." Tom scowled at the reminder that he had yet to be promoted to Commander like Admiral Janeway kept vying for. Yes, he had a checkered past, but he'd served aboard _Voyager_ nearly flawlessly for seven years and deserved a higher rank because of it. Everyone at Starfleet thought so, everyone except his father that is, and he was the one standing in the way.

"Great, so now we have to attend some over the top soiree and pretend we're enjoying ourselves," B'Elanna grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

"It won't be that bad," Tom argued as he put a supportive arm along the back of his wife's chair. "I'm sure there will be an open bar."

"That'll make it all worth it," B'Elanna said coyly as she cuddled up against her husband, causing Chakotay to look annoyed. The two of them had almost no concept of public displays of affection, which meant most former crew members of _Voyager_ had stories of awkward encounters with them in the jeffries tubes or hidden doorways that they had freely traded amongst themselves like they were currency.

One look at Chakotay was all B'Elanna needed to know that something else was bothering him. They'd been friends for over a decade now, and she knew him well enough to see in his eyes that there was something far more important than the anniversary celebration on his mind.

"Okay, Chakotay, out with it," she ordered as she leaned forward. "What's on your mind?" Chakotay shook his head in disbelief. He should have known better than trying to keep secrets from B'Elanna, it was nearly impossible. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn she was a telepath.

"I just realized mine and Seven's anniversary is coming up, and I have no idea what to do," he confided shamefully.

"Well, you've come to the right place," Tom announced confidently as he puffed out his chest and jutted out his chin, causing B'Elanna to roll her eyes. Her husband was always overconfident in his romantic prowess and definitely needed to brought down a few pegs.

"If you're looking for what not to do for an anniversary, talk to Tom," she quipped. "He has a habit of forgetting until the very last moment and then scrambling to get something together. Already, you're doing better than him if you're remembering a few weeks out." Her voice was full of sarcasm as she glared at Tom, whose face flushed bright red. So he wasn't very good with dates, was that any reason for her to get all bent out of shape? He always made up for it with grandiose romantic gestures.

"What do you have in mind for your anniversary?" Tom asked. Chakotay shrugged.

"I have no idea," he sighed with frustration. "Ever since I realized our anniversary's coming up, I've been trying to think of something, but it's hard to think of what Seven would enjoy."

"Women are hard to find the perfect gift for," Tom commented.

"Maybe you just don't pay enough attention," B'Elanna retorted before turning her attention to Chakotay. "When's the last time you two went on vacation?"

"We just got back from Kathryn's the other day," he reminded. She waved off the comment with an annoyed flick of her wrist.

"That's not what I meant. Have the two of you ever gone away just the two of you?"

"Of course we have," Chakotay defended incredulously. His mind spun at warp speed as he tried to think of one instance where the two of them went on vacation together. Unfortunately, only one came to mind. "We went to Ledos together." His voice wavered sa he knew how pathetic he sounded.

"No, you were stranded on Ledos together," Tom pointed out. He couldn't believe how clueless Chakotay could be sometimes, especially given the fact that he was always going out of his way to romance Seven. "Come on, Chakotay, you can't be that naive, even I know how important it is to get away as a couple."

"Maybe you two should go away for a weekend. You know, find some romantic spot. I hear Iceland is gorgeous." The thought of trekking all the way to the other side of the planet just to go somewhere as cold as Iceland caused Chakotay to scrunch up his nose and shake his head. There had to be somewhere closer with a more inviting climate.

"Or Paris, you know, an old classic," Tom suggested as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Chakotay to roll his eyes. This was the last person he should be talking to about all of this. "Seven's working on Pathfinder tonight, I can try to do some recon and see where she might be interested in going on vacation. I can be very subtle you know." B'Elanna snorted, which quickly turned into a loud cough as she tried to keep from spitting out her food. Concerned for his wife, Tom clapped her on the back several times, but that only seemed to agitate her as she pushed his hand away.

"You're about as subtle as a phaser rifle blast to the chest," she gasped. She went to grab her glass of water but found it was empty, prompting her to take Chakotay's. While he initially looked annoyed at her brazeness, she knew that he really didn't mind. Once she stopped coughing and managed to take a sip of water, B'Elanna added, "Don't worry, Chakotay, I'll talk to Seven and see where she wants to go on vacation." He wasn't entirely sure she would be much better, but he was grateful for the offers for help.

"You're implying that Seven will agree to this. We've never left Mezoti alone for more than a few hours, and even that's a big deal for her." The date nights they'd had before moving in had been few and far between, mostly fleeting, stolen moments when they could sneak away. Despite the fact that their love life might be lacking right now, it was definitely an improvement over what it had been.

"Who watched Mezoti when you guys went out on dates?" B'Elanna asked. She was fully prepared to invite Mezoti to stay with them for a few days. It would be a tight fit in their small apartment, but they would find a way to make it work if necessary.

"Icheb," Chakotay replied. In all honesty, Icheb was probably the only person who Seven trusted to look after Mezoti. He understood her unique habits and needs and how to deal with her personality quirks. It made sense to Chakotay, but he also wished Seven would ease up a little bit; they needed to focus a little on themselves as well.

"Okay, so ask Icheb to watch Mezoti and go on vacation for a few days. I'm sure he can handle her." It seemed simple enough to B'Elanna. It wasn't like Icheb was a small child, he was fully capable of looking after Mezoti for a few days. Based on the look on Chakotay's face, however, she could tell that it wasn't that simple. "Just think about it," she urged. He sighed. It was the only idea he had right now, so he wasn't going to completely disregard it.

After a quick lunch with Tom and B'Elanna, Chakotay returned to his office to work. As he did, he thought about B'Elanna's suggestion to go away for a few days. It seemed like a great idea, but he wasn't sure how Seven would feel about leaving Mezoti for that long. Perhaps if he could get Icheb to agree to watch over Mezoti for one night it would be long enough for them to get away. Sure they wouldn't be able to go anywhere far away, but he felt confident that he could find somewhere close enough that they could get home in case of an emergency, not that he anticipated any emergencies. If he planned out everything precisely before suggesting it to Seven, then he might be able to convince her to go along with it, but he had to plan out everything perfectly.

Perhaps the only thing Icheb hated about Starfleet Academy was the crowds of people all over the place. Not only were their cadets such as himself wandering the corridors, some alone and some in small groups socializing, but there were also instructors and Starfleet officers here for a variety of courses made available to them. It was far more crowded than he ever imagined when he dreamt of the Academy aboard _Voyager_. Done with classes for the day, he darted between other cadets as he made his way back to his quarters for a few hours of studying before dinner.

"Icheb!" The sound of his name being called caused Icheb's head to shoot up, and he looked around, momentarily stopping in the middle of the pathway. When he couldn't locate the source of the voice, he continued on his way, only to hear, "Icheb!" Now he was certain someone was calling his name. He felt a large hand clap him on his back as Chakotay fell into step next to him. As soon as Icheb saw him, he stopped dead in his tracks. Chakotay had never sought him out at the Academy, which automatically made him think that something was wrong, especially given what had happened over the past week and a half.

"Captain, is something the matter? Is Mezoti alright?"

"Mezoti's fine," Chakotay assured as he guided the young man to keep walking so they didn't block the steady stream of foot traffic. "Seven's fine too. Everyone is back to school and work; things are finally starting to seem like they're back to normal." He paused for a moment, trying to think of the best way to bring up his request. "I actually have a favor to ask you."

"Of course." There was almost nothing he wouldn't do for Seven and Chakotay. In a way, he was an unofficial member of the family and would therefore do anything the Captain asked of him.

"Seven and mine's anniversary is coming up, and I was wondering if you would be willing to watch Mezoti for a few days while we go away to celebrate."

"Your anniversary?"

"Yeah, of our first date, and I thought it might be nice to get away for a day or two, you know, just the two of us. Seven and I trust you with Mezoti, which is why I was wondering if you could look after her if you don't mind." In the past, the longest he'd watched Mezoti was eight hours when Chakotay and Seven spent the day together several months ago. Never before had he looked after her for such a long period of time, especially overnight. The thought caused him to immediately grow anxious; it was a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, especially given Mezoti's recent erratic behavior. Chakotay may be confident that everything was back to normal, but Icheb couldn't help but worry that she might pull another stunt like she did last week. He slumped his shoulders and tried to think of a polite way to turn down the Captain's request. It was a bit more than he anticipated when he agreed to do him a favor.

"I am unsure if I will be able to comply," he confessed shamefully, refusing to look the beloved captain in the eye. He wanted to help Chakotay, but this was a bit more than he bargained for. "I have never looked after Mezoti for such a long period of time. Are you sure I am best suited for such a request? Perhaps you should talk to Lieutenants Paris and Torres." Chakotay had thought about asking Tom and B'Elanna to watch Mezoti, and they were his backup plan since it was their idea to go out of town in the first place. The thought of having to watch Mezoti and Miral at the same time seemed like a lot to ask though.

"I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't think you were the best person for the job," Chakotay assured. "You've looked over Mezoti many times in the past, and she adores you. I think she'd be far more comfortable with you looking after her instead of Tom and B'Elanna. It would only be for a night or two." Icheb still looked skeptical at accepting such a request as he continued to walk in the direction of his dormitory. "If you want, I can have someone stop by to check on you guys in the evening, just to make sure everything's going well."

"I don't need someone to check on us," Icheb snapped. "And I do not wish to inconvenience anyone."

"It won't be an inconvenience to anyone; it's on their way home from work anyway, and it will only be a quick visit, a few minutes to see if you guys need anything." Chakotay could see that he was losing this battle, and he had to think of a way to win Icheb over; his entire plan for their anniversary hinged on Icheb agreeing to this request. He stepped in front of Icheb and came to a stop in the middle of the path, momentarily forgetting that they were in the way. "When's the last time you spent some time with Mezoti?" Icheb didn't need to answer; both of them knew that it had been quite a while, far longer than it should have been. His gaze drifted down to his feet in shame. "Just for a night or two. You'll have complete run of the house. Think of it as a vacation, a break from the Academy." Icheb sighed. He was getting pretty tired of being stuck at the Academy all the time, so a day or two away could be exactly what he needed.

"Very well, I will comply," he relented. Chakotay smiled, and his shoulders slumped with relief. Now he had to get Seven to agree to go on vacation as well, which would undoubtedly be far more difficult that convincing Icheb.

With Axuna by her side, Mezoti scampered down the front stairs of the school with the rest of the students eager to go home for the day. The sun peeked out from behind a grey cloud, hinting at the possibility of rain in the near future, but, for the time being, the weather was relatively decent.

"Maybe after you're not grounded anymore you can come to my house to play," Axuna suggested. "It's not as quiet as your house, but it'll be fun."

"That would be quite enjoyable. I will ask my mama and Chakotay." Mezoti was reluctant to ask her parents for any favors right now, she wanted to show them that she could be the perfect daughter, which meant complying with their every direction without a single complaint. She would ask her parents, but not now.

Without paying too much attention, Mezoti said goodbye to Axuna and headed in the direction of where Chakotay always waited with his shuttle. When she got a few meters away, however, she looked up and saw an unfamiliar Bolian standing there. Her heart fluttered in her chest. Never before had Chakotay been late. He was always waiting right there at dismissal, forcing him to wait on her. Was something wrong? What would cause him to be late? Perhaps something came up at work. Yes, that had to be it, he was a Starfleet Captain after all, which meant he was pretty important at Headquarters. She always assumed that if he was running late or if there was a change in plans he would contact her at school with other plans. This wasn't like him at all. Confused, Mezoti anxiously scanned the rest of the shuttles in search of him, thinking that he was just in a different spot. There were plenty of parents there, but none of them were Chakotay. It was time for her to accept that he simply wasn't there.

With her head hung in despair, Mezoti trudged through the throngs of students all pressing against her to get to their respective rides home, back to the stairs, which were now abandoned. She flopped down and pulled out her book. Unsure what else to do, she began to read to take her mind off the feeling of abandonment.

Gradually, the hoards of students thinned out. Those playing on the playground were summoned by their parents, saying it was time to go home but with promises of the opportunity to play outside when they got there. The large shuttles full of students, including Axuna, took off, departing in a variety of directions to take the inhabitants home as well. The shuttles that lined the school's property also disappeared. Soon, Mezoti was the only one left. Completely enthralled by her book, she didn't even realize what was happening until she glanced up and saw that she was completely alone. For a moment, she thought about finding her own way home, she had found a way to get to Starfleet Headquarters on her own after all, but ultimately decided against it. If Chakotay showed up, and she wasn't here, she'd undoubtedly be grounded for even longer than she already was, which went against her master plan to be the perfect daughter and never give them any reason to distrust her again.

Shortly after dismissal, Ms. Coalburg emerged from the building and was surprised to see Mezoti perched on the next to last step with a book in her hands. No other students were around, and there was no sign of her parents either.

"Mezoti, is your ride on its way?" she asked in a concerned tone as she sat down next the child. Caught off guard by the intrusion, Mezoti's head shot up. She hadn't heard her teacher approach her.

"I think so," she replied.

"Who normally picks you up?" Figuring Ms. Coalburg would rather talk to her than let her read in peace, she noted what page she was on in her book and closed it.

"My stepdad. He works at Starfleet Headquarters. He's a captain."

"Oh, perhaps he got caught up in a meeting or something."

"Yeah, maybe," Mezoti said softly with a slight nod of her head in agreement. She hoped Ms. Coalburg was right, because she couldn't think of any other reason for Chakotay to be uncharacteristically late. This went against his very nature.

Usually Ms. Coalburg prided herself in being familiar with her students and their personal lives; it added a certain connection between them that helped them be successful in the classroom. When it came to Mezoti, however, the girl was a mystery. She saw her talking to her friend in the hallway, but it was difficult to get her to open up in the classroom. As a result, she found that she knew very little about her. She figured that while she waited for the child's stepfather to show up, she could use the opportunity to get to know her a little bit more.

"Do you like it here in the Alpha Quadrant?" she finally asked, broaching a subject she'd wanted to discuss with Mezoti for quite some time but didn't quite know how to tactfully bring it up. Mezoti simply shrugged.

"It's okay, I guess," she replied. "But I miss my friends and my brothers."

"I didn't know you had siblings." This was news to her. When she looked over Mezoti's file in the school database, there was no mention of any siblings, just her and her parents.

"They're not really my brothers. We were in the Collective together, Mama rescued us. Azan and Rebi are Wysanti; they returned to their people in the Delta Quadrant, but Icheb and I stayed with Mama." The matter-of-fact way Mezoti spoke about the Borg Collective unsettled Ms. Coalburg. She'd promised herself never to even bring up the fact that the child had been a drone; it was part of her traumatic past, not a part of who she is now. When Mezoti talked about it, however, it made it sound like it was no big deal, as if she was discussing what she'd done over the weekend. Ms. Coalburg figured that that must be her coping mechanism, her way of detaching herself from what had been done to her.

"Who's Icheb?"

"Icheb was a part of our Collective too; he's Brunali. He and I remained with Mama aboard _Voyager_." Ms. Coalburg had never heard of the Brunali and never heard Mezoti mention Icheb before.

"Is he your younger brother?" Smiling, Mezoti shook her head.

"No, Icheb's much older than me." She sounded surprised, as if she expected her teacher to be familiar with this information. "He attends Starfleet Academy. He's going to be the first Brunali officer."

"Maybe one day you'll be the first Norcadian officer." Mezoti shrugged. She hadn't given much thought into her future and if she wanted to follow in Icheb's footsteps and enlist in the Academy as well. There were many other options for her to explore here in the Alpha Quadrant, many career paths that she could pursue, but that was a long way off.

"Perhaps, I have not considered my future too much. I would consider going back into space, it's much more exciting than being here on Earth." As soon as the words left her mouth, Mezoti realized that they sounded disrespectful, which hadn't been her intent at all. She simply meant that there was always something going on in space, new species to encounter, exciting planets to explore, beautiful and strange phenomenons to study. Here on Earth, it was the same routine day in and day out. A routine was nice, but it also got boring after a while.

"What was the most interesting thing you encountered in space?" Ms. Coalburg inquired as she propped her elbows up on her knees and leaned toward Mezoti slightly. The question caught Mezoti off guard. There was so much that had happened to her over the course of the year and a half she was on _Voyager_ , making it nearly impossible to pick just one.

"The Kobali," she finally replied slowly, as if by picking one event it would trivialize everything else that had happened to them in space. "They were a species with a unique method of procreation." Ms. Coalburg had never heard of the Kobali before, but, then again, she hadn't taken the time to sort through all the information from _Voyager_ 's databases, only skim the surface to get some information about Mezoti. She also knew that Starfleet had kept a lot of the information to itself for a variety of reasons with the promise that it would all eventually be declassified once Starfleet processed it accordingly. She opened her mouth to stop Mezoti from continuing, as she didn't want to hear about the mating rituals of a strange alien species, but she continued, "They reanimate corpses of other alien species and turn them into Kobali."

"It sounds like Frankenstein's monster."

"Frankenstein's monster?" Upon their return to Earth, Seven ensured Mezoti was familiar with Earth mythology and lure, but that was a creature she hadn't encountered in any of her extensive research.

"It's an ancient human story about a scientist who takes body parts from corpses and sews them together to make a monster." Mezoti's brow knitted together as she listened to Ms. Coalburg's explanation.

"But why would someone ever do that?"

"You'll have to read the book to find out." There was a certain sparkle in Ms. Coalburg's eyes that told Mezoti that this was definitely a book worth reading. Intrigued, she made a mental note of the title. The number of books she wanted to read with Chakotay seemed to grow exponentially with each passing week. Not only was she reading human literature, but she was starting to amass a collection of Vulcan books as well. They were far more serious than most human works, but she still found them fascinating in their own right.

A shuttle landed in Chakotay's usual spot, causing Mezoti to jump to suddenly jump to her feet. For a moment, she thought that it wasn't Chakotay, even though she recognized the flyer as his own. He emerged from the shuttle. Even from a distance, she could tell that he looked more frazzled than usual, which caused her to grow concerned.

"Zoti, I'm so sorry," he greeted as he stalked up the sidewalk with long, confident strides befitting of a Starfleet captain. Mezoti snatched her backpack up from the ground and flew down the steps. "I was caught up talking to someone and lost track of the time." Mezoti could hardly hold it against him, it was the first time this had happened, and he seemed genuinely remorseful. As Chakotay took Mezoti's backpack, he noticed a young woman following her.

"I'm Sandra Coalburg, Mezoti's teacher," she explained as she extended her hand. Chakotay shifted the backpack from his right to his left hand before shaking her hand.

"Chakotay, nice to meet you. You didn't have to wait with Mezoti."

"It's fine, we had a wonderful discussion. She's a wonderful child." Chakotay ran his hand affectionately over the top of Mezoti's head and glanced down at her. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips and his dark eyes sparkled with admiration and pride. The subtle reaction cause Mezoti to stand just a little taller with pride.

"I couldn't agree more." Ms. Coalburg was literally beaming with pride as she shifted excitedly from one foot to the other. All the staff members in the building knew who Mezoti's parents were, but she'd never been fortunate enough to actually meet them. In a way, they were legends to her, as were all members of the famed crew.

"Captain, I must say, I'm a big fan of _Voyager_. When word first got out that you guys were stuck in the Delta Quadrant, as a teacher, I found it fascinating. I used your adventures in as many lessons as I could, and when you returned to Earth, my students and I spent the entire day glued to the computer, watching it live," she gushed. It had honestly been a while since he'd encountered what B'Elanna referred to as "their adoring fans". The hype surrounding _Voyager_ had slowly dissipated, although he had a feeling that with the one year anniversary coming up in a few weeks, all of that would change.

Unsure what else to say, Chakotay went with his usual response for such an encounter and said, "Thank you so much for your kind words." It always felt strange to him. People had this idea of how he was in their minds, that he was some sort of larger than life figure, when in actuality, he was nothing more than a boring man who was going to go home and make a boring dinner for his family before falling asleep on the couch while Seven glared at him with disapproving eyes. If people knew how mundane his life really was, perhaps they wouldn't think so highly of him.

"I know Mezoti has been struggling the past few weeks, if there's anything that your wife or you need me to do to help her, please don't hesitate to contact me." The word "wife" caused Mezoti's eyes to shoot up as she tried to read Chakotay's reaction. If he was bothered by the word choice, his cool demeanor didn't give it away. He looked calm and completely unphased by the word, as if it was no big deal to him, causing her to think that he hadn't heard it.

"Thank you. Right now I have to get her home." He shook Ms. Coalburg's hand once again and ushered Mezoti towards the shuttle. Thankfully, Seven was working late at Pathfinder tonight, which meant he didn't have to have dinner on the table by the time she got home. It was just going to be the two of them.

In the Pathfinder lab, Seven poured over the data from the latest test using her algorithm. All the tests were the same, proving that her algorithm was successful, not that she expected anything else. B'Elanna and Harry were on the other side of the lab, leading a group as they attempted to make the appropriate modifications to a warp core. Seeing as they were in the early stages, all they could do was make plans for what they would eventually do and run those simulations on the computer and holodeck. When Seven agreed to work for Pathfinder, she had no idea that most of her work would simply be running simulations on computers. In all honesty, it was incredibly boring and inefficient. There had to be a better way to get this done.

From across the lab, B'Elanna glanced at Seven, who seemed completely enthralled by her work, not that B'Elanna expected anything less from her. She knew she had to talk to her and find if she had any preference for a vacation for her anniversary, but she had no idea how to broach the subject, it wasn't exactly like the two of them were all buddy-buddy. Perhaps she should recruit Harry for this job, he and Seven got along pretty well. Unfortunately, Harry was a bit distracted right now, and he was about as subtle as Tom with stuff like this. If she wanted to get this task done, she was going to have to do it herself.

Figuring it was now or never, B'Elanna excused herself from her work and crossed the lab, sidling up to Seven as she looked over her PADD. Unamused by the intrusion, she raised an eyebrow and looked at her. For a brief moment, B'Elanna's mind went blank as she tried to think of how to bring up a seemingly random subject that had absolutely nothing to do with anything relating to Pathfinder.

"Can I be of assistance?" she asked.

"Yeah, I have a question." When she didn't continue, Seven nearly walked away, causing B'Elanna to stammer, "Tom and I are thinking of going away for a long weekend in a few weeks, and I was wondering if you knew of any places that you would recommend." Sighing with frustration, Seven put down her PADD. Not only was this not the place for conversations like this, she wasn't exactly the leading expert in places to go on vacation since she found them a horrible waste of time.

"You're asking _me_ for recommendations for places to go away with your spouse?" Now that she repeated it back, B'Elanna knew it sounded ridiculous, but she'd promised Chakotay that she'd do some investigating, even if Seven thought she was out of her mind. It wasn't like she cared what Seven thought of her in the first place.

"Yeah, have you and Chakotay gone anywhere nice or talked about going anywhere nice? You know, just to get away for a few days?"

"In case it has slipped your mind, Chakotay and I both have very taxing jobs and are also raising a nine year old, so there is no time for us to 'get away.'" Seven turned to walk away, but B'Elanna sidestepped into her path. The Lieutenant knew that she was pushing her buttons, but now that she'd started the conversation, she had to keep going; Chakotay was desperate for anything that could help help him.

"So you're telling me that you haven't thought about going on vacation, not once?" B'Elanna put her hands on her hips, which told Seven that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. For a moment, she considered telling her that they needed to get back to work but ultimately decided against it.

"Very well, I have heard that there are several National Parks that are quite relaxing, with many outdoor activities. It is supposed to be very pleasant." B'Elanna nodded thoughtfully. Visiting national parks was the last place she expected Seven to suggest as a place to visit, but the woman certainly was full of surprises. She pictured her as the type of person who wanted to visit a city, surrounded by people, civilization and lots of technology.

"National parks, great, I'll look into it. Thanks, Seven." With a brief, awkward nod, B'Elanna disappeared to the other side of the lab to return to her work, leaving Seven to figure out on her own what in the world had just happened.

Grateful that the odd conversation was over, Seven returned to her PADD, but she couldn't shake the strange encounter. Never before had B'Elanna reached out to her for advice on anything related to her relationship, or anything other than Pathfinder for that matter. If anything, Seven felt that she should be going to her for advice on her relationship with Chakotay. She and Tom had been in a somewhat stable relationship for several years now, so clearly they had something going for them. Perhaps they had entered a new stage in their friendship where they now share more intimate aspects of their life with each other, although Seven still couldn't figure out what had caused the unexpected shift in their relationship.

Some time after the uncomfortable conversation, the door to the lab slid open, and Admiral Paris breezed inside like he owned the place, as was his usual style. Most officers immediately jumped to attention, but Seven simply ignored him as she stalked across the room to check on B'Elanna's work. She stood in front of a computer console, pulling up the data from the latest modifications to the warp core. As far as she could tell, everything looked fine, not that she expected anything less from B'Elanna.

"How are things going?" Admiral Paris asked in his typical demanding tone. His mere presence made many officers uncomfortable as they scrambled to make it look like they were being productive in order to justify their prestigious positions there.

"The same as when you were here approximately two hours and thirty-seven minutes ago," Seven replied before spinning around to face the Admiral. She looked less than amused with his intrusion.

"Well remind me," Admiral Paris ordered, equally unamused. Why couldn't she simply follow orders like everyone else around here? Every time he encountered Seven, he felt that she had something to say, a snide quip, a sarcastic remark, all in her usual deadpan tone, which made it even more frustrating. Time and time again, Kathryn assured him that that was simply how Seven worked, but he wasn't sure how much of it he could handle.

"We have been running tests and simulations non-stop, and all results have been the same." Admiral Paris analyzed the data on the nearest computer console. Nothing had changed since the last time he had been here, but he still wanted to see with his own eyes. "Lieutenants Torres and Kim are creating modifications to a warp core to utilize my algorithm, but it is all useless." Caught off guard by the bluntness, Admiral Paris' eyes shot up.

"Excuse me?" he snapped. From his seat, Tom did his best to hide a snicker, but B'Elanna saw and smacked him upside the head. He was always glad when Seven put his father in his place; he needed to learn some humility.

"We have been running tests and simulations for nearly a week now, and all results have been the same. The logical conclusion would be that making the modifications necessary and utilizing the algorithm will be successful. If anything, we are being inefficient. It would be in Starfleet's best interest to transfer this information to a starship and begin making the appropriate modification to that ship's warp core."

"Are you telling me how to do my job?" Admiral Paris sputtered in shock. Clearly this woman needed to be reminded of the chain of command. Seven stood with her arms behind her back. She knew he had a habit of being difficult to work with, but she refused to let that stop her.

"I am simply pointing out that there is only so much we can do here on Earth. All of this is hypothetical and inefficient. You brought me onto this project to help, and I would not be doing my job if I did not tell you that we are being inefficient." Admiral Paris sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Seven was right. They could only run tests and simulations for so long. If Starfleet wanted Pathfinder to be successful, they would eventually have to get out of this lab and onto a starship with many members of this project going along for the ride. He would bring it up at his next admiral's meeting and see if they could get the ball rolling on that. In all honesty, this was starting to become a drain on time and resources.

At home, Mezoti stood on her usual chair next to Chakotay, watching as he kneaded out the dough. Since it was just the two of them for dinner, he thought personal pizzas would be a quick and informal meal. Seven personally wasn't fond of pizza, so out of respect for her dietary choices, he didn't make that for dinner when she was around. Mezoti, on the other hand, was like most children and adored the dish.

"Have you ever read a book titled _Frankenstein_?" Mezoti asked out of the blue as she chopped the variety of vegetables replicated to put on top of the pizza. With the expertise of a seasoned chef, Mezoti chopped the mushrooms into fine slices. Chakotay stopped kneading the pizza dough for a second while he thought back to all the books he'd read. He was pretty sure he'd read _Frankenstein_ , but it had to be decades ago, so he couldn't remember the finer details of the book. Of course, it was a classic, so he remembered the general premise.

"Many years ago," he finally replied. "Why?"

"Ms. Coalburg recommended it." Chakotay went back to kneading the pizza dough. It was nearly done, which meant they could start assembling the pizza. This was supposed to be an easy meal, but it was turning out to be a little more work than he anticipated, and he hoped it would be worth it.

"That's an odd book to recommend out of the blue."

"I was telling her about the Kobali, and she said they are similar to Frankenstein. I was unfamiliar with the story. Mama had me research Earth folklore when we returned to the Alpha Quadrant, but that is one story I have not heard of."

"It's a good story, I think you'll like it." Chakotay paused. "I feel like I'm going to regret asking, but why were you talking about the Kobali?"

"Ms. Coalburg asked me what the most interesting thing I encountered in space was, and I told her it was the Kobali," Mezoti replied matter-of-factly as she finished chopping the mushrooms and moved on to the tomatoes.

"Are you sure it wasn't the ghost on deck twelve?" There was a sparkle in Chakotay's eyes as he abandoned the dough to retrieve the pizza pans from underneath a nearby counter. The mention of the long forgotten ghost caused Mezoti to stop what she was doing mid-chop.

"There wasn't _really_ a ghost on deck twelve...was there?" When Chakotay didn't answer, Mezoti hopped down from her chair and trailed after him, literally hanging off his arm to get his attention. All he did was smirk, which only caused her to press further. "Chakotay, was there a ghost? Icheb said that ghosts aren't real."

"Well, what do you think?" She stopped to think. He could see the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out what she believed. Were ghosts real? If they were, was that what was on deck twelve? If it wasn't a ghost, then what had caused all the supposed problems aboard _Voyager_? It was all a mystery to her, and that was exactly how he liked it.

Confident that Mezoti would be distracted with his existential question, Chakotay retrieved the pizza pans from the appropriate cabinet and began to spread the crust out on each pan. Bowls sat on the counter, one containing cheese and another containing sauce. All Mezoti had to finish doing was finish chopping up the vegetables, and they could make their pizza. Chakotay hoped that it wouldn't take much longer to make dinner. Lunch with Tom and B'Elanna seemed like a lifetime ago, and he was starting to get hungry.

Still trying to figure out if she believed in ghosts or not, Mezoti climbed back up onto her chair and began to chop the vegetables once again. Since there wasn't much for him to do in the meantime, Chakotay grabbed a second knife and chopped up the peppers. Mezoti was working slower than usual, telling him that she was still thinking, either about if she believed in ghosts or something else.

Finally, she blurted out, "Chakotay, did you notice that Ms. Coalburg thought you and Mama are married?" The question came without her even glancing up from her task or stopping what she was doing. It had been bothering her all afternoon, and she longed to know how her stepfather felt about the faux pas. Chakotay, who was caught off guard by the blunt observation, stopped what he was doing. He should have expected her to mention her teacher's slip up, but he didn't expect Mezoti to be so candid.

"I did," he replied.

"Do you think you and Mama will ever get married?" The question caused his heart to flutter with uncertainty. Chakotay knew he had to choose his words carefully here. Mezoti was incredibly impressionable, and he wasn't entirely sure if she wanted the two of them to get married, which meant his answer could either set her off in a tizzy of tears or cause her to immediately start planning their hypothetical nuptials. Furthermore, anything he said about marriage, she would undoubtedly repeat to Seven, which could create a whole other set of problems. He had to think of an answer to Mezoti's question and fast. Finally, he came up with an answer.

"Do you want us to get married?" he asked, answering her question with another question that would hopefully help him come up with a better answer. Without missing a beat, she nodded her head eagerly.

"Oh yes," she replied quite matter-of-factly. "Because then that means we'll always stay together as a family." Chakotay's gaze softened as all thoughts of preparing dinner fled his mind. He put down his knife and hooked his finger under Mezoti's chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"That will never happened," he promised, his voice full of emotion. "We'll always be together as a family." Forgetting about cooking dinner herself, Mezoti put down her knife and threw her arms around his neck. Thanks to the fact that she was standing on a chair, they were basically the same height. Chakotay wrapped his arms around her and pressed a loving kiss to the top of her head.

"I love you," he murmured affectionately as he rubbed her back.

"I love you too."

 **Author's Note:** Love it? Hate it? Be sure to leave me a review and let me know!


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